https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

News


Pixabay

News

Supreme Court ruling on EPA greenhouse gas regulation will impact cities

Supreme Court ruling on EPA greenhouse gas regulation will impact cities

  • Written by Andrew Castillo
  • 1st July 2022

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court handcuffed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s regulation power by ruling that the federal government cannot use the 1970 Clean Air Act to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

By a 6-3 decision, the decision is notable for city and county administrators because greenhouse gas emissions aren’t contained within jurisdictional boundaries, and municipalities are on the front line in the fight against climate change, according to advocacy organizations representing local governments.

“Local leaders are on the front lines of battling the climate crisis—but we can’t do it alone,” reads a joint statement issued by Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of The National League of Cities (NLC) and Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). The ruling “represents a major step back in our fight to keep our communities safe from the devastating effects of the climate crisis, including stronger and more frequent natural disasters, extreme temperatures, negative public health effects, and more. Many cities, towns and villages will continue to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but today’s decision leaves us working uphill against this threat.” 

In a documented opinion justifying the majority view of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts said the EPA doesn’t have the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to the scope outlined by the Clean Power Plan.

“A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body,” he wrote.

Technically, the ruling rolls back the EPA’s 2015 Clean Power Plan, which never actually went into effect. It was signed into law under the Obama Administration to curb “carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal- and natural-gas fired plants,” according to the high court’s ruling, but stayed by executive order in 2017 by former president Donald Trump, simultaneous with the nation’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Mechanically speaking, the Supreme Court’s decision reverses a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling that struck down the Trump administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan. More abstractly, it draws a line in the sand defining the limits of federal oversight of greenhouse gas emissions, and that, in turn, will impact the effectiveness of local ordinances. 

Given the immense impact one power plant can have on the environment, local governments rely on federal regulation to control greenhouse gas emission and support their own initiatives.

“The concentration of people, activity, and infrastructure in cities makes them uniquely valuable economically, but cities are also affected by a concentration of adverse climate impacts, such as increased heat-related deaths, dirtier air, damaged and disappearing coastlines, longer droughts and other strains on water quantity and quality, increased wildfire risk, and increasingly frequent and severe storms,” argues an amicus brief submitted jointly by The National League of Cites (NLC) and The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) in West Virginia v. EPA supporting the Clean Power Plan, the case that was overturned by the Supreme Court. An amicus brief is a document providing insight or commentary on a particular case submitted by a third party organization that has relevant expertise.

In the face of climate change, an overwhelming majority of cities across the United States recognize and are actively working to reduce their carbon footprint. In 2019, the brief highlights that 60 percent of American cities “launched or significantly expanded an initiative to address climate change, such as a green vehicle procurement program or renewable energy policy.” And in 2020, cities took 859 separate climate-related actions to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. 

Ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday, “244 U.S. mayors representing over 52 million Americans to ask EPA not to repeal the Clean Power Plan, explaining ‘our local efforts to address climate change are highly sensitive to national policies like the Clean Power Plan, which shape markets, steer state action, and have large direct impacts on nationwide emissions.’”

By not upholding the authority of the EPA, the court’s decision undermines the efforts of American mayors, who are already fighting an uphill battle.

In many states, for example, cities and counties “have been the only level of government to develop strategies to adapt to climate change. For example, cities in Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Georgia have all engaged in climate adaptation planning despite a lack of state-level planning,” the brief says.

From the White House, President Joe Biden vowed to fight the decision.

“We cannot and will not ignore the danger to public health and existential threat the climate crisis poses. The science confirms what we all see with our own eyes—the wildfires, droughts, extreme heat, and intense storms are endangering our lives and livelihoods,” Biden said in a statement. “We will work with states and cities to pass and uphold laws that protect their citizens. And we will keep pushing for additional Congressional action, so that Americans can fully seize the economic opportunities, cost-saving benefits, and security of a clean energy future.”

Tags: homepage-featured-3 homepage-featured-4 News Public Works & Utilities News Public Works & Utilities News

Most Recent


  • broadband
    Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities
    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) presents communities with the ability to build broadband infrastructure that has been shown to deliver substantial and long-lasting economic benefits by creating jobs and attracting businesses as well as improving the quality of life for the people who live there. Local leaders need to be proactive and engaged […]
  • Report: Traffic fatalities from motor vehicle accidents increased by 7% in the first quarter
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s first-quarter traffic fatality estimates are in, and they’re not encouraging. Around 9,560 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the first three months of 2022, representing a 7 percent increase over last year’s data from the same quarter (there were 8,935 fatalities in the first quarter of 2021).   “We […]
  • Biden: Inflation Reduction Act represents 'one of the most significant laws in our history'
    Don’t be deceived by its name: the Inflation Reduction Act represents the most significant act combating climate change Congress has ever passed. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the measure into law—injecting $370 billion into sustainability and energy initiatives over 10 years with the stroke of a pen.  “This bill is the biggest step forward […]
  • heat
    Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers
    Usually, my writing has focused on all things tech leadership in local government. And if the term “heat” was ever mentioned, it was directed towards either IT or the CIO. Given all the weather tragedies across the globe it is time we simply stop just talking about it and start doing something about it. This […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Nevada police department, medical school, partner to train officers in emergency first aid
  • Report: Reforming emergency dispatch won't be easy, but it's necessary
  • Bloomberg
    Three U.S. cities to adopt Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge-winning project to combat climate change
  • 10 cities ideal for hybrid or full-time telecommuters seeking an outdoor lifestyle

White papers


2000+ Government Customers Reveal a Roadmap to Fleet Management Success

17th August 2022

Modern American Perspectives on Law Enforcement

14th July 2022

Reimagine the Employee Experience

12th July 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities dlvr.it/SWsW6f

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Traffic fatalities from motor vehicle accidents increased by 7% in the first quarter dlvr.it/SWsJFc

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Biden: Inflation Reduction Act represents ‘one of the most significant laws in our history’ dlvr.it/SWpMDZ

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

CRM beyond sales: How government CRM can improve citizen engagement and satisfaction dlvr.it/SWp9lg

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers dlvr.it/SWp77d

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

2000+ government customers reveal a roadmap to fleet management success dlvr.it/SWng6T

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Here are 12 of America’s most walkable cities with vacancies for renters dlvr.it/SWlBkd

16th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid digitization of public infrastructure, cybersecurity is increasingly a challenge dlvr.it/SWh6Ww

15th August 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X