The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a climate-change case that could handcuff President Biden’s initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite objections from the Biden administration, the nation’s highest court sided with a coalition of 19 Republican-led states and the coal industry, by agreeing Friday to consider a climate change case that could limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to curtail the emissions – which would be a huge blow to the president’s campaign promise to take on climate change.
The high court is taking up the case as Biden is set to attend the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland and reportedly push China and other major polluters to be more eco-friendly.
The court also said it would hear a case that would allow Republican-led states to defend a Trump-era rule denying green cards to noncitizens who use public benefits like food stamps.
The earliest both cases will be argued is 2022. The court didn’t explain its decision. Both are unusual, however, since the Biden administration either has changed or said it will change the rules at the center of each case.
A federal appeals court in Chicago previously upheld a lower court order striking down the Trump-era rule on green cards nationwide. In March, the Biden administration announced an agreement with the parties and states challenging the rule, and also dropped its objections to the appellate decision.
In the climate-change case, the court will review a federal appeals court decision from earlier this year striking down a Trump administration climate rollback. The lower court ruled officials acted illegally in issuing a new rule that eased federal regulation of air pollution from power plants.
The Biden administration has said it is working on a replacement rule.
EPA administrator Michael Regan issued a statement on Twitter, saying “Power plant carbon pollution hurts families and communities, and threatens businesses and workers. The Courts have repeatedly upheld EPA’s authority to regulate dangerous power plant carbon pollution.”
With Post wire services.