The U.S. Supreme Court has the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 power to combat climate change.
In a statement, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the decision undermines 50 years of progress under the federal Clean Air Act.
鈥淥regon will continue to lead the way to address climate change at the state level, moving to 100% clean energy, capping emissions and taking a comprehensive approach to climate change,鈥� .
This Supreme Court decision undermines 50 years of federal progress under the Clean Air Act. Oregon will continue to lead the way to address climate change at the state level, moving to 100% clean energy, capping emissions, and taking a comprehensive approach to climate change.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown)
Environmental advocates in Oregon said the ruling will hurt national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, but they said it won鈥檛 affect local efforts already underway to , and block fossil fuel projects like oil-by-rail terminals.
鈥淭he Supreme Court decision is a blow for everyone that cares about tackling the climate crisis across the U.S.,鈥� Lauren Goldberg, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Columbia Riverkeeper, said on Thursday. 鈥淏ut here in the Pacific Northwest, we have had huge success in addressing the climate crisis on state and local levels, and today鈥檚 decision is not going to stop that momentum.鈥�
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum issued a statement calling the Supreme Court decision a 鈥渞adical act鈥� that is 鈥渄eeply disturbing.鈥� She noted that Oregon has been involved in litigation over the issue of regulating greenhouse gas emissions since 2015 and promised to continue to 鈥渕itigate climate harms鈥� at the federal and state level.
鈥淭his chilling ruling curtails the federal government鈥檚 ability to protect us from greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions under this part of the Clean Air Act,鈥� Rosenblum said. 鈥淲e will not be derailed. Our future 鈥� and our children鈥檚 and grandchildren鈥檚 鈥� depend on stepping up this critical work and never giving up.鈥�
After the Oregon Legislature failed to pass cap and trade legislation that would limit greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, Gov. Brown directing state agencies to reduce emissions in other ways.
In response, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality launched the to reduce emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas by 90% by 2050.
Oregon DEQ Director Richard Whitman said the Supreme Court ruling will not affect that program or the agency鈥檚 ongoing low-carbon fuels program, which requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline and diesel.
Oregon lawmakers also that aims to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, Whitman noted, but that law will be implemented through state regulation of utilities 鈥� not through the EPA.
鈥淭he work that Oregon has done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions really has been almost completely independent of work that鈥檚 been going on at the federal level,鈥� Whitman said. 鈥淭he states will have to continue to lead on climate given this decision by the Supreme Court. It really underlines the importance of state efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.鈥�
Whitman said his agency is operating under authority granted by the Oregon Legislature to regulate air pollution, and that authority will not change as a result of the Supreme Court ruling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still disappointing because I think we were hopeful we would have national regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants by the federal Environmental Protection Agency,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat would give us a level playing field across the nation for addressing this part of climate change.鈥�
Whitman said the court鈥檚 ruling will allow some states to avoid taking action to reduce emissions in the absence of federal regulation.
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