Good news -- the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected an industry challenge of the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
This morning, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) first-of-its-kind greenhouse gas regulations, dismissing out of hand a variety of challenges from industry and states. The findings uphold the agency’s rules defining limits to the emission of greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act. Specifically, the court ruled: Yes, the agency acted properly in determining that CO2 is a danger to public health; yes, it was right to use that determination to regulate vehicles; and yes, it was within its authority to determine the timing (Timing Rule) and scope (Tailoring Rule) of the regulations.
The Wall Street Journal called the decisions “a blow to an array of industry groups”; Politico declared them ”a surprisingly sweeping win.” In short: very good news.
The legal challenge was focused on both the authority of the EPA and the validity of health and environmental concerns illustrated by the EPA, arguing that there's "too much uncertainty" concerning the science.
The court rejected the challenge by reaffirming the EPA's authority and the EPA's science.