PennEnvironment Statement on Supreme Court Stay of Clean Power Plan

PennEnvironment

While the Supreme Court’s recent decision to temporarily pause implementation of the Clean Power Plan was a disappointment and a surprise, by no means does it amount to overturning the Clean Power Plan.  The Clean Power Plan has a strong legal foundation in the Clean Air Act, and we are confident that the Supreme Court will uphold this overwhelmingly popular move to protect our health and communities from the impacts of climate change.  We are confident that clean air will ultimately prevail. 
Most states, including Pennsylvania, are already moving forward with designing their own plans to tackle climate change under the Clean Power Plan–which is no surprise: according to a poll by the bipartisan Public Opinion Strategies [1] 82 percent of Pennsylvanians support “Pennsylvania developing its own state plan to reduce carbon pollution and increase the use of clean energy and energy efficiency.” This is exactly what the Clean Power Plan does.
The benefits of tackling climate change are enormous, both in the long and the short term.  The Clean Power Plan has an an anticipated $54 billion in health and climate benefits, and the transition to clean, renewable energy is an enormous boon to Pennsylvania communities across the state.  The Clean Power Plan is also being defended by a coalition of 18 states, as well as many of the nation’s leading cities such as Philadelphia and New York. 

[1] http://docs.nrdc.org/globalwarming/files/glo_15020401a.pdf