Thursday's Supreme Court decision declared the EPA had overstepped the authority Congress gave it to limit carbon dioxide emissions at power plants. But outside the courtroom, reviving the fossil fuel business isn’t going to be simple.
The Kanawha River coal-fired power plant in West Virginia closed in 2015. When conservative environmental lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead joined the Bracewell firm in late 2006, it represented the whole range of electric power companies, including coal-fired utilities and coal mining firms. Not anymore.The chief executives of electric utilities, wary of the perils of climate change, are marching away from coal, as well as other fossil fuels.
“We don’t really see that there would be any immediate impact on our transition plans,” said Vicky Sullivan, director of climate policy at Duke Energy. “We still plan to transition out of coal by 2035 and we don’t see the Supreme Court’s decision having a material impact on that.” Utility trade group Edison Electric Institute, a variety of high-tech and other companies, and the EPA itself appealed to the Supreme Court to let the agency set consistent standards after sifting through the science of climate change and making detailed regulatory choices.
Burke took aim at EPA Administrator Michael Regan for pushing for speedier retirement of coal plants “at the exact time that the energy crisis, skyrocketing electricity costs, and reliability and blackout concerns are showing that these plants are sorely needed.” Sign up for the latest news about climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday
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