In a ruling issued on June 30th, the Supreme Court limited the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. We have gathered the reactions from EcoRight groups and allies on this monumental decision.
From our executive director, Bob Inglis:
Supreme Court leaves it up to Congress to act on climate change. That’s OK because Congress can enact a carbon tax and a carbon border adjustment that can make the solution go worldwide. Tax pollution. Un-tax income. Conservatives in Congress, here’s your chance! We need you!
— Bob Inglis (@bobinglis) June 30, 2022
From the statement issued by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski: “Climate change is real and we have an obligation to address it but that lies with Congress, not an agency. I am proud to have led or been part of three significant efforts in the past two years alone to address energy and climate – my Energy Act, the phasedown of ultra-warming hydrofluorocarbons, and the infrastructure law – which proves that Congress is more than capable of addressing this very real challenge in a bipartisan and reasonable way.”
From our friends at the Climate Leadership Council: Climate Leadership Council CEO Greg Bertelsen issued the following statement regarding Supreme Court’s decision on the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision limiting EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act is a further reminder that Congress is decades late in charting a national strategy for addressing the most challenging environmental issue of our time. And it is further confirmation that a price on carbon must be part of the solution.”
For the rest of the statement, head here.
From R Street Institute:
“WV v. EPA may have major legal ramifications but minimal climate impact. Conventional regulation under the Clean Air Act could reduce emissions incrementally, but it is not effective for driving transformative change.” @DC_Hartman https://t.co/g3JEKwWxdi
— R Street Institute (@RSI) June 30, 2022
And from the Citizens Climate Lobby :
But of course, reducing emissions through existing EPA regulations is not the only way to do so. Effective legislation passed through Congress could cut emissions. Indeed, the majority opinion by Chief Justice Roberts states, “We presume that ‘Congress intends to make major policy decisions itself, not leave those decisions to agencies.’”
We will be monitoring who says what in the days to come, hoping the EcoRight continues to push for durable, bipartisan, legislative solutions to climate change.