The Archives

In a blockbuster 6-3 decision penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled this week that federal regulators exceeded their authority in seeking to limit emissions from coal plants in a move that sharply curtails the executive branch’s authority to make policy actions on a range of issues without congressional direction. The court said the Environmental Protection Agency had overstepped when it devised the Obama-era regulatory scheme, known as the Clean Power Plan, a plan that had been challenged by West Virginia and others. In the meantime, President Joe Biden called the decision “devastating” and said it “sides with special interests that have waged a long-term campaign to strip away our right to breathe clean air.”