We Win One in the Supreme Court!
It’s not often that we get to start the week off with a monumental victory in the US Supreme Court. This week it happened.
For years President Bush has been the foot-dragger in chief when it comes to stopping global warming. He and his administration have denied the existence of the problem, stifled their own scientists, suppressed data, and attacked those who had the courage to speak the truth.
When the EPA claimed that it lacked the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and that the causal link between greenhouse gases and global warming had not been unequivocally established, a coalition of states, cities, and environmental organizations (including VPIRG through our federal advocacy arm, U.S. PIRG) took them to court.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court made clear that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, and therefore the EPA has the authority to regulate emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The Court also ordered the EPA to reconsider its decision not to regulate CO2 emissions from cars.
The justices who sided with the Bush administration make up the Court’s ultra-conservative wing: Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito. (Note: Those four along with justices Kennedy and Breyer voted to strike down Vermont’s landmark campaign finance law last year….)
This is a huge victory and it must have come as a shock to the President and the dwindling number of global warming skeptics in this country.
It opens the door to lots of possibilities for future action and it certainly damages the auto industry’s case in challenging Vermont’s Clean Cars regulations. So there’s more work ahead, but this is one to celebrate and enjoy. Congrats to all those who helped to make it possible!
For a complete list of the petitioners and other documents related to the case, go to www.cleancarscampaign.org and click on “Court Action.”
- Paul
For years President Bush has been the foot-dragger in chief when it comes to stopping global warming. He and his administration have denied the existence of the problem, stifled their own scientists, suppressed data, and attacked those who had the courage to speak the truth.
When the EPA claimed that it lacked the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and that the causal link between greenhouse gases and global warming had not been unequivocally established, a coalition of states, cities, and environmental organizations (including VPIRG through our federal advocacy arm, U.S. PIRG) took them to court.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court made clear that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, and therefore the EPA has the authority to regulate emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The Court also ordered the EPA to reconsider its decision not to regulate CO2 emissions from cars.
The justices who sided with the Bush administration make up the Court’s ultra-conservative wing: Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito. (Note: Those four along with justices Kennedy and Breyer voted to strike down Vermont’s landmark campaign finance law last year….)
This is a huge victory and it must have come as a shock to the President and the dwindling number of global warming skeptics in this country.
It opens the door to lots of possibilities for future action and it certainly damages the auto industry’s case in challenging Vermont’s Clean Cars regulations. So there’s more work ahead, but this is one to celebrate and enjoy. Congrats to all those who helped to make it possible!
For a complete list of the petitioners and other documents related to the case, go to www.cleancarscampaign.org and click on “Court Action.”
- Paul
Labels: environment, global warming, legislation
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