US GHG policy at a crossroads: Supreme Court readies for monumental case

When the US Supreme Court hears oral arguments on 28 February, we will get our first glimpse of where the Justices stand on the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Until now, US courts have consistently upheld the EPA’s right to regulate harmful pollutants. However, more recently, the Court has not been amenable to environmental regulations or executive agencies drafting significant rules that could transform portions of the economy. A ruling against the EPA would open utilities up to litigation by private parties over harmful emissions and limit the executive branch's ability to draft new regulations.