Supreme Court continues to make itself unpopular

The U.S. Supreme Court, where conservative judges currently hold a majority, has handed President Biden's administration a resounding defeat: According to the Supreme Court's assessment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may not set limits for CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. This drastically limited the government's powers in the fight against climate change.

The limits for coal-fired power plants had been introduced in 2015 under then-President Barack Obama, who, like Biden, is a Democrat, who subsequently gave the agency broad powers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The ruling drew outrage from environmentalists and industry groups like American Clean Power (ACP), saying, "At a time when we can least afford it, this decision constrains EPA’s ability to put meaningful limits on carbon from power plants—the nation’s largest industrial source of such pollution. In passing the Clean Air Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, Congress established a national program intended to curb pollution and protect human health and welfare. The Court’s decision turns the clock backwards by curtailing EPA’s ability to do that job," commented ACP CEO Heather Zichal.