Well, thanks for that, Supremes. While we've got Flint kids poisoned and Porter Ranch people exposed to all sorts of carcinogens and other toxic fumes, the United States Supreme Court brought the President's Clean Power initiative to a screaming halt.
Dividing five-to-four, the Supreme Court on Tuesday evening ordered the Obama administration to take no steps to carry out its “Clean Power Plan,” a move that may stall the plan until after the President has left office next January. The order — issued in identical form in individual responses to five separate challenges — will spare the operators of coal-fired power plants from having to do anything to begin planning for a shift to energy sources that the government considers to be cleaner. (An example of the five orders is this one, issued in a case filed by twenty-nine states.)
The plan, designed to make sharp reductions on carbon pollution from the smokestacks of generating plans fueled by fossil sources, is now under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It has put the case on an expedited schedule, with a hearing set for June 2. However, it may not finished its ruling until this fall, and then either side to try to move the case on to the Supreme Court.
The new orders will delay all parts of the plan, including all deadlines that would stretch on into 2030, until after the Circuit Court completed its review and the Supreme Court has finished, if the case does wind up there.
The Kochs must be rejoicing.
