Supreme Court Weighs in on Carbon Emissions

To the excitement of environmental activists, on April 2 the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of Massachusetts and the 11 other states suing the EPA for an injunction that would require the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles. Massachusetts and company argued that the EPA had the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions. The EPA and Bush administration, however, claimed that it did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, and that doing so would involve regulating fuel efficiency, which falls into the domain of the Department of Transportation. Massachusetts, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al.

The ruling that the EPA can regulate carbon emissions will most likely have several effects in the near future. There is a current dispute over California laws about air-quality and regulating emissions, and this Supreme Court victory will most likely strengthen California’s case. This decision might also push Congress to act more quickly in passing federal legislation to regulate emissions.