Supreme Court limits EPA global warming rules
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The Supreme Court delivered a setback to the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, placing limits on the sole Obama administration program already in place to deal with power plant and factory emissions of gases blamed for global warming.
The decision does not affect recent and highly controversial EPA proposals to set the first-ever national standards for new and existing power plants. One recent proposal would aim for a 30 percent emissions reduction by 2030.
Rather, at issue was a requirement that companies expanding industrial facilities or building new ones that would increase overall pollution must evaluate ways to reduce carbon emissions. The justices said Monday that the EPA lacks authority in some cases to force companies to do so.
However, the ruling could nevertheless be used to challenge other aspects of the EPA’s effort to deal with global warming.
The rule in question applies when a company needs a permit to expand facilities or build new ones that would increase overall pollution.
The outcome does preserve EPA’s authority over facilities that already emit pollutants that the agency regulates other than greenhouse gases.
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