PA Legislative Climate Caucus Reacts To Supreme Court's EPA Ruling

HARRISBURG — Members of Pennsylvania's Legislative Climate Caucus are speaking out after the United States Supreme Court on Thursday issued a ruling that limits the federal Environmental Protection Agency's abilities to regulate carbon emissions from power plants in an effort to combat climate change.

The caucus, which is made up of legislators from both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate, released a statement protesting the high court's 6-3 majority opinion in the highly watched case.

"Yesterday, the Supreme Court voted to restrict the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate the carbon emissions that are dangerously overheating our planet," the statement reads. "This decision strips the congressionally authorized agency of the power to address the greatest threat of our time — climate change. Going forward, the EPA will not have the authority to address any big and new environmental issues that arise without the authorization of a dysfunctional Congress to regulate in a particular sphere. In short, the Supreme Court has ensured that the EPA will be hamstrung in its efforts to protect our environment."

The caucus, which has a number of members from Southeastern Pennsylvania, stated that it agrees with Associate Justice Elena Kagan's observation in her dissenting opinion that the Supreme Court, with its majority ruling, made itself the "decision maker on climate policy."

"Our world is under grave threat from climate change, beset by increasingly destructive hurricanes, fires, and coastal erosion causing mass migration and destabilizing the political order," the statement reads. "Now more than ever, government agencies must be able to take action to protect and preserve our communities, our public health and our welfare."

The caucus accused the U.S. Supreme Court of being shortsighted in its view and for siding with the coal industry at the "expense of the welfare of the American people and the world."

Members said in light of the high court's ruling, they are planning to promote legislation here in the commonwealth that would help to protect Pennsylvanians' rights to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the environment.

"The court's ruling in West Virginia v. EPA reinforces the need for local, state, and regional action on climate issues and strengthens our resolve to tackle the climate crisis together," the caucus wrote.