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Will the Supreme Court Protect the Clean Air Act?
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class="c-breadcrumb__item"><a class="c-breadcrumb__link" href="https://www.nrdc.org/news-commentary?f%5B0%5D=news_commentary_language%3Aen#listing-page-content"> <svg class="c-icon is-left c-icon--breadcrumb" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#arrow-long"></use></svg> See all News & Commentary</a></li></ol> </div> </nav> <main id="main" class="c-main" role="main" tabindex="-1"> <article data-history-node-id="55809" class="c-article" lang="en"> <div class="l-page"> <div class="l-page__masthead"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="l-page__header"> <div class="l-page__eyebrow"> <div class="c-eyebrow"><a class="c-eyebrow__link" href="https://www.nrdc.org/news-commentary?f%5B0%5D=news_commentary_language%3Aen&f%5B1%5D=news_commentary_type%3Aexpert_blog#listing-page-content">Expert Blog</a></div> </div> <div class="l-page__title"> <h1 class="c-page-title"> Will the Supreme Court Protect the Clean Air Act? </h1> <div dir="ltr" lang="en"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> </div> <div class="l-page__subtitle"> <div class="c-subtitle"><p>The court’s decision in <em>West Virginia v. EPA</em> could roll back decades of progress at a time when we can least afford it.</p></div> </div> <div class="l-page__details"> <div class="l-page__inline-detail"> <div class="c-date"> <time datetime="2022-03-01T12:00:00Z">March 1, 2022</time> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="l-page__content"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="l-page__main"> <figure class="c-figure"> <div class="c-figure__media"> <img alt="" loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_25/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=nZyY0tKR 192w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_50/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=YDBOczyX 384w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_75/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=ICgOBnlu 576w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_100/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=KiuN9PDh 768w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_150/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=toxITR2L 1152w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_200/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.webp?h=c3635fa2&itok=Tvrg5_4Y 1360w" sizes="min(calc(100vw - 2.22222rem), 768px)" width="576" height="324" src="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_100/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373306394_2400.jpg.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=KiuN9PDh" /> </div> <figcaption class="c-figure__caption"><div class="c-figure__caption-credit"> <span class="u-visually-hidden">Credit: </span>Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for NRDC</div></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="l-page__metadata"> <div class="c-article__authors"> <div data-history-node-id="21003" class="c-profile"> <div class="c-profile__content"> <div class="c-profile__name">Lissa Lynch (Alum) </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-sharethispageblock" class="c-social-share js-share"> <div class="c-social-share__label">Share this page</div> <ul class="c-social-share__list"> <li class="c-social-share__item"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//www.nrdc.org/bio/lissa-lynch/will-supreme-court-protect-clean-air-act" aria-label="Share on Facebook" class="c-social-share__link"> <svg class="c-icon c-icon--social-share" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><title>Share this page block</title><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#circle-facebook"></use></svg> </a> </li> <li class="c-social-share__item"> <a href="https://www.twitter.com/share?url=https%3A//www.nrdc.org/bio/lissa-lynch/will-supreme-court-protect-clean-air-act" aria-label="Share on Twitter" class="c-social-share__link"> <svg class="c-icon c-icon--social-share" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><title>Share this page block</title><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#circle-twitter"></use></svg> </a> </li> <li class="c-social-share__item"> <button class="c-social-share__link js-copy-link" aria-label="Copy link" type="button"> <svg class="c-icon c-icon--social-share" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><title>Share this page block</title><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#circle-link"></use></svg> </button> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="l-page__main"> <div class="c-wysiwyg u-clearfix" data-wysiwyg> <p>Yesterday was a pivotal day for the climate in the arenas of both science and law.</p> <p>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/">latest report</a> detailing the already extensive and destructive impacts of climate change on people and ecosystems worldwide—as well as the need for both accelerated actions to adapt to a warming world <em>and</em> rapid and deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to limit the damage.</p> <p>On the same morning, the Supreme Court heard <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2021/20-1530">oral arguments</a> in <em>West Virginia v. EPA</em>, in which coal industry interests and red state attorneys general seek to have the court <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/supreme-court-about-hamstring-epa-its-fight-against-climate-change">severely curtail</a>, or altogether eliminate, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to limit carbon pollution from power plants—the nation’s largest industrial source of such pollution.</p> <p>This litigation has taken a long and winding road, and NRDC has been a party to all of it. Along with our other public health, environmental, and clean energy allies, we <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2022/220118-1">filed briefs</a> in this Supreme Court case—an appeal of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lissa-lynch/trump-epa-dismantles-cpp-nrdc-prepares-fight-back">our D.C. Circuit challenge</a> to the Trump EPA’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2021/210119">that court’s decision</a> in our favor. And years before that, we intervened to <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/david-doniger/clean-power-plan-goes-distance-marathon-hearing">defend the Clean Power Plan</a> against legal challenges.</p> <p> <div class="c-responsive-embed"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in West Virginia vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/EPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EPA</a>, a case that will profoundly impact our health and the planet. The outcome will set a precedent in other states and determine EPA's ability to protect our environment. <a href="https://t.co/CVu7vgDPZQ">https://t.co/CVu7vgDPZQ</a></p> <p>— Manish Bapna (@ManishBapnaNRDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ManishBapnaNRDC/status/1498362562399727618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </p> <p>It’s never a good idea to speculate on the outcome of a case based on oral argument, but here are a few observations:</p> <ul> <li>Most of the Justices’ questions related to the “major questions” doctrine, a relatively recent and somewhat vague legal doctrine that administrative agencies cannot issue regulations of great economic or political significance without explicit congressional instruction. But this case is not an easy fit for this doctrine, since there is <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/david-doniger/whats-stake-scotus-power-plant-cases">no rule currently in effect</a>.</li> <li>Given the lack of any final rule before the court, the justices asked a number of questions about whether the case is justiciable—that is, whether there is a live “case or controversy” for the court to review—but gave few hints about where the court will land on the issue.</li> <li>In a bit of good news, there was almost no discussion of altogether eliminating EPA’s authority to regulate power plants’ CO<sub>2</sub> emissions by overturning the Supreme Court precedents of <em>Massachusetts v. EPA</em> and <em>American Electric Power v. Connecticut</em>.</li> </ul> <p>While the justices heard oral argument inside, NRDC was also among the advocates, parents, scientists, lawyers, and concerned citizens who rallied outside the Supreme Court on Monday morning to demonstrate our commitment to protecting the Clean Air Act and EPA’s ability to act on climate.</p> <p> <div class="c-responsive-embed"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">TODAY: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in West Virginia vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/EPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EPA</a>—a case that will profoundly impact health and climate. <br><br>Public health experts, scientists, families and activists gathered to support the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CleanAirAct?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CleanAirAct</a>—to defend the health and safety of people and climate. <a href="https://t.co/iR7n73Kz87">pic.twitter.com/iR7n73Kz87</a></p> <p>— NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/1498398351460605953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </p> <p>We heard remarks from experts and activists alike—a climate scientist, a pediatrician, moms concerned for their children, and youth activists worried about their future.</p> <p> <div class="c-responsive-embed"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">📣"Today, we’ve gathered outside <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCOTUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCOTUS</a> because they must listen to individuals who will suffer most from the consequences of climate change if coal companies get their way. The court should reject these effort and uphold the law to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectPeopleNotPolluters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProtectPeopleNotPolluters</a>." — Ethan Barragán <a href="https://t.co/cPEo9tP0Ut">pic.twitter.com/cPEo9tP0Ut</a></p> <p>— NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/1498678983126306823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </p> <p> <div class="c-responsive-embed"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jamison Ford is right. “Climate change must be slowed down, our lives and health depend on it — especially the lives of young people.” <a href="https://t.co/SuADdKooms">pic.twitter.com/SuADdKooms</a></p> <p>— NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/1498426827546763264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </p> <p> <div class="c-responsive-embed"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">We must <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActOnClimate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ActOnClimate</a> for kids like Martin: <br><br>“Hey listen, if we all work together, we can do something about climate change that would mean so much to kids like me.” — Martin, age 8 <a href="https://t.co/PSfBq0qjQW">pic.twitter.com/PSfBq0qjQW</a></p> <p>— NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/1498489257371000834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </p> <p>As West Virginia activist Maura Ross summed up the stakes: “The court can either choose to protect the Clean Air Act and our future or to protect the profits of the coal industry and the ambitions of far-right politicians.”</p> </div> </div> <div class="l-page__main"> <figure class="c-figure"> <div class="c-figure__media"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_25/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=JRUQu719 192w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_50/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=zCUIBY7b 384w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_75/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=gXmQuhCm 576w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_100/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=bn4on0ey 768w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_150/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=JHDW8XQT 1152w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_200/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.webp?itok=gCpi1uRO 1360w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) min(calc((100vw - 4.44444rem) / 2), 768px), (min-width: 808px) max(calc((100vw - 2.22222rem) / 2), 29rem), calc(100vw - 2.22222rem)" width="576" height="384" src="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_100/public/media-uploads/nrdc_1373309109_2400.jpg.jpg?itok=bn4on0ey" alt="" /> </div> <figcaption class="c-figure__caption"><div class="c-figure__caption-text"><p>Maura Ross, chair of West Virginians for Sustainable Development and a member of the Eastern Panhandle Green Coalition</p></div><div class="c-figure__caption-credit"> <span class="u-visually-hidden">Credit: </span><p>Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for NRDC</p></div></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="l-page__main"> <div class="c-wysiwyg u-clearfix" data-wysiwyg> <p>It was heartening to see so many friends, colleagues, and allies gathered on the Supreme Court steps in solidarity. We need the whole community in this fight, more than ever—as yesterday’s <a href="https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf">IPCC report summary</a> concluded: “Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”</p> <p>The Supreme Court’s decision in <em>West Virginia v. EPA</em> could roll back decades of progress at a time when we can least afford it. But no matter what the outcome of this case, we need all hands on deck to keep fighting for climate action at the federal, state, and local levels.</p> </div> </div> <div class="l-page__main"> <figure class="c-figure"> <div class="c-figure__media"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_25/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=DHzAKvq5 192w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_50/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=Ce_cabB5 384w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_75/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=IEhJd0Vz 576w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_100/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=kVWcM8bU 768w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_150/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=N_pC4tCn 1152w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_200/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.webp?itok=KLhWV9kZ 1360w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) min(calc((100vw - 4.44444rem) / 2), 768px), (min-width: 808px) max(calc((100vw - 2.22222rem) / 2), 29rem), calc(100vw - 2.22222rem)" width="576" height="384" src="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_100/public/media-uploads/1373330928_2400.jpg.jpg?itok=kVWcM8bU" alt="" /> </div> <figcaption class="c-figure__caption"><div class="c-figure__caption-text"><p>The author, Lissa Lynch, listens in as the Supreme Court hears arguments from the coal companies and their allies who are trying to gut the Clean Air Act and block climate action.</p></div><div class="c-figure__caption-credit"> <span class="u-visually-hidden">Credit: </span><p>Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for NRDC</p></div></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="l-page__main u-spaced-2-above"> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-issue-terms c-field--type-entity-reference c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__label">Related Issues</div> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/clean-air" rel="nofollow">Clean Air</a> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/human-health" rel="nofollow">Human Health</a> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/climate-change" rel="nofollow">Climate Change</a> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/fossil-fuels" rel="nofollow">Fossil Fuels</a> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/equity-justice" rel="nofollow">Equity & Justice</a> <a class="c-button c-button--tertiary" href="/issues/climate-adaptation" rel="nofollow">Climate Adaptation</a></div></div> <div class="l-page__full-bleed"> <section class="l-section has-top-border"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="l-section__main"> <h2 class="l-section__title">Related Blogs</h2> <div class="l-section__content"> <div class="c-view c-view--related-content c-view--display-expert_blog_issue_location view js-view-dom-id-50b76ebcd634da308315dd90c7661861fe479b444b7221363a7b23ae96005284"> <div class="l-card-grid l-card-grid--carousel" data-card-grid-carousel> <a class="l-card-grid__skipnav u-visually-hidden u-focusable" href="#carousel">Skip carousel items</a> <div class="l-card-grid__controls" data-card-grid-carousel-controls> <button class="l-card-grid__prev" aria-label="Previous"> <svg class="c-icon is-left icon--card-grid" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#angle"></use></svg></button> <button class="l-card-grid__next" aria-label="Next"> <svg class="c-icon is-right icon--card-grid" role="img" aria-hidden="true"><use href="/themes/nrdc_theme/dist/images/sprite.artifact.svg#angle"></use></svg></button> </div> <div class="l-card-grid__content" data-card-grid-carousel-content > <div data-history-node-id="74196" class="c-card"> <div class="c-card__wrapper"> <div class="c-card__media"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_25/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=8DJeUqS4 192w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_50/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=yRNUbrub 384w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_75/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=lmduoE3- 576w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_100/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=29JGxMmQ 768w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_150/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=bU9IgKdv 1152w, /sites/default/files/styles/medium_16x9_200/public/2024-11/the-epa-building-a58b68dcb8.jpg.webp?h=a166818e&itok=LcvPm7PS 1360w" sizes="(min-width: 1044px) min(calc((100vw - 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