CONTACT: Brett Abrams | [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC — Moments ago, the Supreme Court ruled against an emergency request by polluters and some states to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon pollution rules for power plants, slated to take effect next year. In July, the D.C. circuit had denied industry’s stay request and the judges said that EPA’s rules are squarely in its lane and found that power companies and recalcitrant states are unlikely to prevail on the merits in this case.
In reaction to the ruling, Climate Justice Alliance’s Interim Executive Director, KD Chavez, issued the following statement:
“The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the EPA’s rule on coal and gas fired power plant emissions reductions is a victory for climate justice and our communities. And while we applaud the path it charts for what can be construed as a coal phase out, this rule is still riddled with loopholes that give a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry to continue operations and experiment on frontline communities by exposing them to the dangers and health effects of unproven technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The rule does not go far enough to push the needle towards a fossil fuel phase out and a Just Transition for the energy sector, the communities where energy projects are sited, and the workers who could tap into renewable energy jobs. Instead of leading with ambition, the rule relies on installation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment for several categories of power plants, in spite of overwhelming evidence that CCS is expensive, energy intensive, and does not work as advertised. It only requires incremental improvements in efficiency and the use of lower-emitting fuels for gas power plants.
Frontline communities deserve more, and given this rule won’t be applied until next year, we will continue to work to ensure stronger power plant regulations that meet the growing threat of climate catastrophe we all currently face.”
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