Clean Air Council Responds to West Virginia v. EPA Supreme Court Decision

PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 30, 2022) – Joseph Otis Minott, Clean Air Council Executive Director and Chief Counsel, issued the following statement: 

“The radical judicial overreach from the U.S. Supreme Court continued on the last day of its term. This case was not justiciable and should never have been heard by this Court, but the conservative majority nevertheless decided to issue an improper advisory opinion that strips critical tools from EPA’s toolbox under the Clean Air Act to combat the climate crisis. The dissent rightly notes the so-called “major questions doctrine” magically appears as a get-out-of-text-free card to ignore the plain language of the Clean Air Act and how Congress decided to craft EPA’s authority. EPA still can, and must, regulate carbon pollution and other greenhouse gasses like methane. There remain options to significantly cut climate pollution from our nation’s electric power plants. But this must be a blaring siren to the Biden administration, Congress, and state and local leaders that we need big, bold action to address climate change across all levels of government without delay.”