With everyone distracted by the New Hampshire primary, you may have missed breaking news tonight from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has granted a stay of effectiveness on President Barack Obama’s final rules from last October 23, 2015 for his Clean Power Plant greenhouse gas emission control guidelines for existing source fossil-fired steam electric power plants and combustion turbines.
The unprecedented Supreme Court action granted the stay before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals had even heard and decided the full case on the merits on multiple petitions to overturn the rule. The DC Circuit had previously denied petitioners the stay of final rule they had requested.
The consequence of the decision is a serious blow to the President’s plans to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions because states will not have to submit existing source emission control plans with the stay in effect….which will last at least until the DC Circuit renders its decision below on the case.
Secretary Hillary Clinton has been clear and specific in her campaign documents about the need to support President Obama’s Clean Power Plan efforts.
As president, Hillary will:
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Defend, implement, and extend smart pollution and efficiency standards, including the Clean Power Plan, which will prevent 3,600 premature deaths and 90,000 asthma attacks annually, and efficiency standards for cars, trucks and appliances that are already reducing energy costs for American households and businesses by over $75 billion per year.
Senator Bernie Sanders’ plan to address global warming and climate change makes no mention at all of President Obama’s efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other sources. However, since the baseline year for Sanders’ plan is 1990, it depends on all emission reductions achieved since 1990 and up to the time of the Clean Power Plan’s 2030 final date, so all emission reductions that would occur under and part of President Obama’s plan if it is allowed to go into effect would actually already be an intrinsic part of Senator Sanders’ plan.
The current stay that was granted reflects the ever present 5 to 4 split of justices on key issues before the Supreme Court, thus re-emphasizing that presidential elections have significant consequences for the Court’s future decisions.
Here is coverage from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/us/politics/supreme-court-blocks-obama-epa-coal-emissions-regulations.html?_r=0
….and Lyle Denniston at Scotus Blog:
http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/02/carbon-pollution-controls-put-on-hold/#more-238111