The federal government’s oversight of clean air and water dates to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 1970 founding. The D.C. debate now is over the agency’s enforcement of greenhouse gas emission standards for power plants.
Proponents of EPA standards on greenhouse gases cite the need to stem climate change. This is why Democrats in D.C. view the EPA’s mandate to include regulatory authority over power plants.
Republicans generally hold a more limited view of the EPA’s legal role. In July, a Supreme Court majority sided with limiting EPA oversight on power plant emissions. With a divided Congress unlikely to expand the EPA’s authority, the Agency’s future role on plant emissions looks reduced.
Access the previous installments in Brian’s climate series here, here and here.
