PennFuture Responds to West Virginia vs. EPA Decision
“PennFuture is extremely dismayed by the Supreme Court’s decision today in the case of West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency,” said PennFuture President and CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo. “This misguided decision will have far-reaching consequences and is exactly the opposite of what is needed in this moment as the climate crisis continues to accelerate unabated. The stripping of the executive branch’s power to enforce regulations that cut greenhouse gas pollution and fight climate change that impacts every region of our country, and leaving it in the hands of a Congress that has shown almost no appetite to do so, will have disastrous consequences.
We have seen this same scenario play out in Pennsylvania, where legislators have tried time and again to strip Gov. Wolf’s existing authority under Pennsylvania law to enter the Commonwealth into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Similar to Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, lawmakers in Congress aren’t actually interested in having the authority to fight climate change. Instead, they only seek to take power away from other branches of government that have spurned Congress’ inaction on climate issues and have dared to act in the best interests of our residents and our planet.
Pennsylvania’s Constitution clearly grants guaranteed rights to clean air for every resident, and Pennsylvania’s Air Pollution Control Act gives our Department of Environmental Protection the authority to regulate pollution. The decision handed down by the Supreme Court does not change these rights and it does not change Pennsylvania's authority to regulate greenhouse gasses.
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PennFuture is Pennsylvania’s leading environmental advocacy organization with offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Erie and East Stroudsburg. We are protecting our air, water and land, and empowering citizens to build sustainable communities for future generations.
Contact:
Jared Stonesifer
Director of Media Relations
stonesifer@pennfuture.org
412.456.2372