West Virginia v EPA (2022)
The green light
An environmental organization, the EPA, tried moving the US toward renewable energy. They did this by setting unrealistically low emission limits for coal power plants. So what’s the problem? The EPA did not have any congressional power (permission granted by Congress) to change the means of energy production for these plants. They could only tell them how to manage the existing plants.
Breakdown Verdict.
A 6-3 verdict determined that the EPA did not hold the power to change the power plants. They did have the green light to use the “best system of emission reduction”, but not specifically to change the energy system. That would have to come in an explicit statement from Congress.
Result Going Forward.
This is a massive hit toward what companies can and cannot do, since corporations like the EPA have been able to take advantage of vague contract conditions up to now. They now have to report to Congress if they want to take a sizeable action such as switching the source of energy that the economy uses. The ruling is a major loss for big business, eliminating the ability to hide behind legality.
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