Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, 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 tough 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, Sierra Club Chief Energy Officer Holly Bender released the following statement:
“The Supreme Court’s refusal today to halt EPA’s carbon emission standards for power plants is a victory for our climate and for the health and well-being of our families and communities, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of this pollution. EPA’s safeguards are critical to reducing those emissions and facilitating the transition to a fully clean energy economy.
“As we continue to witness the impacts that coal and gas plant pollution have on our climate and health, we must do everything possible to reduce emissions, mitigate the harm caused by fossil fuel combustion and, ultimately, end this practice altogether. We will keep working to defend crucial safeguards like EPA’s power plant rules, and will continue to fight for a world in which a stable climate and clean air are rights, not luxuries.”
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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.