Supreme Court blocks Obama’s climate change rules

The justices, by a 5-4 vote, issued an unusual emergency order that blocks the Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward with its effort to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030.

The court’s order said the EPA’s “carbon pollution emission guidelines” for power plants are “stayed pending” a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which will hear the case this summer.

Known as the Clean Power Plan, the EPA regulations would set state-by-state targets for reducing greenhouse gases from power plants.

The rules would force many states to shut down older coal-fired plants and to produce more electricity using natural gas or solar and wind power.

Lawyers for West Virginia, Texas and 24 states sued, contending the EPA does not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to launch a broad attack on greenhouse gases.