Massachusetts v. EPA
From Conservapedia
Massachusetts v. EPA (Apr. 2, 2007) was a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that implicitly accepted theories of global warming and ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) either to begin regulating car emissions that "cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare," or to declare that greenhouse gases pose no threat.[1][2]
Until now the Bush Administration has avoided political controversy by saying it lacks authority to regulate greenhouse gases. In this decision the Supreme Court has forced the hand of the Bush Administration to take a position one way or the other.
"We remain hopeful that the EPA will soon determine, as California has, that vehicle greenhouse gases must be reduced," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared in response.[2]
California brought this lawsuit along with 11 other states, one U.S. territory, three cities and thirteen environmental groups. The lawsuit demanded that the EPA regulate carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and hydrofluorocarbons, all of which are considered to be "greenhouse gases." The lawsuit insisted that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to limit pollutants that "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare."
Until now, the EPA has refused to regulate these gases because it claimed to lack authority, and because car exhaust has little effect on global greenhouse gases. But now the Supreme Court has held that the EPA does have authority, and must take a position.
Justice Kennedy provided the swing fifth vote to the liberal voting bloc of Justices Stevens (who wrote the decision), Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer. The conservative Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito and the Chief Justice Roberts were in dissent.
