Industries lobby Supreme Court to limit government regulation

Various industries are urging the Supreme Court to restrict federal agencies' power to enforce regulations, potentially reshaping legal defenses for government rules.

Pamela King reports for E&E News.

In short:

The Supreme Court seems open to arguments against the Chevron doctrine, which allows agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to interpret ambiguous laws.
Industries, including fossil fuels and vaping, support this change, seeing it as a way to reduce regulatory burdens.
The shift could mark a continuation of the Supreme Court's trend towards favoring business interests over federal regulatory powers.

Key quote:

"Businesses cannot plan and invest for the future when agencies are free to unilaterally change the basic rules that govern them at any time."

— Andrew Varcoe, deputy chief counsel of the Chamber’s Litigation Center.

Why this matters:

This potential legal shift is significant for environmental and public health policy. Limiting agency powers could hinder the government's ability to effectively regulate industries, impacting everything from air quality to consumer safety.

The Supreme Court has taken a brazen anti-regulatory turn. It’s our planet and health that will suffer.

www.eenews.net

Industries lobby Supreme Court to limit government regulation

The coming out party for the country’s largest gas power plant (serving the largest data center) was surprisingly quiet

Extreme heat has transformed what Summer means across generations in Europe

How a ‘perfect storm’ spread fire, heat and smoke across the Northern Hemisphere

Germany: As temperatures rise, so does climate skepticism

Solar powers record share of Britain’s electricity mix in July

Trump’s EPA found a sneaky new way to make our air more polluted.

Fishing closures expand as record heat warms Western rivers

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.