Clean Power Plan: Obama vows to push forward despite court delay
Science
Clean Power Plan: Obama vows to push forward despite court delay
The Obama administration is promising to press ahead with efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emissions after a divided Supreme Court set aside his signature method to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The Clean Power Plan is meant to curb carbon dioxide emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants and is the centerpiece of the administration’s strategy to combat climate change. The White House on Tuesday night said that it disagrees with the court decision, but it said that it expects the rule will survive the legal challenge. It also said that it will take “aggressive steps” to reduce carbon emissions and that the Environmental Protection Agency will continue to work with states that want to cooperate.
We disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the Clean Power Plan while litigation proceeds. … We remain confident that we will prevail on the merits.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest
In opposing the request for delay, the EPA argued that states had plenty of time to comply with the requirements as the rule is rolled out over the next six years. The plan was designed to lower carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2030 to 32 percent below 2005 levels. It is the main tool for the United States to meet the emissions reduction target the U.S. pledged at U.N. climate talks in Paris in December.
The Clean Power Plan has a firm anchor in our nation’s clean air laws and a strong scientific record, and we look forward to presenting our case on the merits in the courts.
Vickie Patton, a lawyer for Environmental Defense Fund
