Supreme Court trims EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions

In a mixed decision, the Supreme Court on Monday curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency's power to combat climate change by placing limits on its program that regulates emissions from power plants and factories.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court said the EPA could continue to treat greenhouse gasses as pollutants, and to therefore regulate them. However, it also held that the EPA could not extrapolate that power via the Clean Air Act to force some companies to go through a special permitting process solely because they release greenhouse gasses.

The decision does not impact the new EPA rules, announced earlier this month, which aim to cut emissions 30 percent by 2030.

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