(WORT) — This week the United States Supreme Court delivered a mighty setback for one of President Obama’s key initiatives to combat climate change.
In a 5 to 4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic stay against the Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants,. The order effectively blocks the plan from being further implemented.
The Clean Power Plan was one of Obama’s strongest selling points to the global community that the United States was taking bold action to reduce carbon emissions.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel praised the high court’s ruling, saying it was imperative that the state fight back against “the federal government’s intrusion into the affairs of the State of Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin is one of 27 states that has taken legal action against the EPA’s plan to cut carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 32 percent by 2030.
For more on why the high court issued this precedent setting stay, Dylan Brogan spoke with UW-Madison Political Science Professor Ryan Owens.