The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday against the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to limit certain power plant emissions.
Industry groups and more than 20 states with Republican leadership challenged the EPA's regulations to limit mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.
The 5-4 majority sided with the challengers in the case, saying the EPA failed to comply with the section of the Clean Air Act mandating regulations must be "appropriate and necessary," because the agency didn't complete an appropriate cost-benefit analysis.
"They're not saying the EPA doesn't have the right to regulate and they're not saying that the EPA should not regulate," says Jo Anna Shimek, clinical assistant professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Health.
Instead, the court determined the EPA didn't take into consideration the financial impact of imposing such standards on power plants.
"There's a fine line there because how do you determine the cost of a human life versus the cost of industry putting in additional air pollution equipment," Shimek says.
Jodi Perras, Indiana representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement that the court's ruling fails to protect people from the harmful effects of power plant emissions.
"That's why the EPA and the Obama Administration must now quickly propose a revised rule that restores at least the same level of protections," Perras said. "We urge EPA to ensure progress made in cleaning up noxious pollution isn't stalled any further, so that children across Indiana can grow up safe and healthy."
Gov. Mike Pence praised the court's ruling.
"For too long, the repercussions of costly regulations and federal overreach have been overlooked in Washington, where the Administration's approach to energy policy has placed environmental concerns above all others," Pence said in a statement. "However, as Governor, I can confidently say the financial and economic impact of these policies are detrimental to Hoosier families and businesses alike here in Indiana."
The EPA must now complete the analysis before imposing its regulations.
