SCOTUS could deal another blow to climate action
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images
The Supreme Court could stall action on climate change yet again as it weighs whether to pause new pollution regulations for coal-fired power plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized rules this year aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants. But red states and industry groups are challenging the EPA in court and have asked SCOTUS to step in and stop the rules from being implemented while they duke it out.
The request is now in the Supreme Court’s so-called “shadow docket” — meaning SCOTUS can essentially issue a stay on the rules at its whim. The court has already made it way tougher for federal agencies to regulate industry since Donald Trump packed it with conservative-leaning justices. This is…