Supreme Court ruling on EPA is latest blow to Biden’s climate agenda

(Source: NBC News)

Although the White House signaled it will still take narrower action on power plants — the country’s second-largest source of greenhouse gases — the court’s ruling was another stinging reminder that Biden’s ability to deliver on top priorities is severely constrained. It remains unclear whether he can still make good on his pledge to halve U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury.

“Our fight against climate change must carry forward, and it will,” Biden said in responding to the ruling, calling it “another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling targeted a scheme the Obama administration proposed to shift electricity generation from fossil fuels like gas and coal to renewable sources like wind and solar. Under the plan, rather than set pollution limits for individual power plants, the federal government would have forced states to cut overall emissions through a cap-and-trade system that would have favored renewable sources.