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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Monday, July 7, 2014

No ‘free rein’ for the EPA

By Peter Glaser

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a centerpiece of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strategy to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, clearly reining in the agency from what has become a pattern of regulatory overreach. This will prove to be a heavy blow to the EPA’s future plans to regulate carbon.

The Court overturned the EPA’s Tailoring Rule this past week, which was a truly breathtaking example of the EPA’s efforts to change the law to suit its agenda. The Clean Air Act requires that facilities that release certain thresholds of pollutants obtain a permit, depending on the type of facility. Congress established these levels so that only large industrial and manufacturing plants would need permits.ADVERTISEMENT…..The best idea would have been not to regulate carbon at all, but the EPA had another solution: “Tailor” the statute – or essentially rewrite it…..That way the EPA could avoid politically untenable regulatory chaos while pursuing its agenda.

The Supreme Court, however, saw the issue much differently. The Court told the EPA that basic Separation of Powers principles do not permit Executive Branch agencies to rewrite duly enacted laws. The Court therefore struck down the Tailoring Rule, holding that “it would be patently unreasonable – not to say outrageous – for the EPA to insist on seizing expansive power” to rewrite Congressional enactments…..To Read More….




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