Contact: Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court denied a request by big polluters to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) carbon emission standards for power plants from taking effect, ruling in favor of the agency and its authority to limit harmful greenhouse gasses from the electric power sector.
In April, the EPA unveiled new carbon emission standards to reduce pollution at fossil fuel-fired power plants. These measures strengthen protections against emissions from new gas-burning power plants and establish the first-ever federal safeguards against carbon emissions from existing coal-burning plants. These standards will reduce climate pollution from these units while protecting vulnerable communities from the harmful health effects of other power plant pollution.
Under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from both new and existing power plants, and the safeguards at issue here do exactly that. The agency’s projections show that, through 2047, the program will reduce power sector carbon emissions by 1.38 billion metric tons, as well as tens of thousands of tons of pollution that causes dangerous smog or soot.
Immediately after EPA issued these safeguards, the fossil fuel industry and their allies filed lawsuits requesting that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit block the program. In July, a panel of the D.C. Circuit unanimously rejected this request. Today’s decision by the Supreme Court allows implementation of the EPA’s carbon emission standards to proceed while litigation on the merits is ongoing in the lower court.
In response, Tom Schuster, Director of the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter released the following statement:
“This year’s heat waves and hurricanes have reminded us that climate disruption is already here, and it will only get harder to deal with the longer action is delayed. That’s why we are pleased that the Supreme Court will not block implementation of these critical safeguards against power plant pollution, at least for now.
With respect to coal-fired power plants, the economic impact of this rule in Pennsylvania will be limited, as most of the state’s existing coal units are already planning to retire in the next few years. However, the rule will help drive down harmful emissions from any new gas-fired combustion turbines that end up being constructed in Pennsylvania, and its benefits to the health and safety of our communities from reducing soot and carbon pollution from out-of-state power plants will be immense. We will keep fighting to defend critical federal safeguards against pollution for the sake of our families, children, and grandchildren no matter what cynical delay tactics the fossil fuel industry continues to throw up.”
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.