Last week, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to restrict the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon emissions. This means that every individual, community, and state now shares the burden to be good stewards of the environment and care for the most vulnerable members of our society - making it clear that the well-being of the nation rests on our collective shoulders.
In a nutshell, the ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA means that the EPA no longer has the authority to mandate that energy companies shift to cleaner sources in order to cap carbon emissions. That responsibility now falls to Congress – a political body beholden to many interests other than understanding and curbing climate change effects.
If you’ve been following my commentary and the work of CPEX, you’ll know that I’m deeply disturbed by this ruling. As planners, we understand that this decision will have a multitude of downstream effects that impact people, communities, and quality of life. I spent a couple of days grieving for everyone working to create a healthier and more sustainable future for our people and planet, knowing that this decision makes our work MUCH harder.
But then I rallied: OUR responsibility to act isn’t reliant on Congress, the Supreme Court, or even the EPA. We should absolutely hold our elected officials accountable for providing the leadership that is needed at the federal level, but we can still plan and fight for a better future right now and right here on the front lines of climate change.
We have precedent for local action in the face of scary and disheartening decisions like this one. When former President Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, city mayors all over the country stepped up to create local climate action plans. Similarly, Louisiana has shown leadership in developing the Gulf South’s first state Climate Action Plan, which gives us a path forward for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We already have the tools in hand to both increase our economic competitiveness as an energy-producing state and limit climate change impacts by investing in clean, renewable energy.
State and local governments are already driving the changes we need, so it’s critical that we stay the course. Absent federal support, Louisiana – a state where 66% of emissions come from energy and petrochemical sources – can still back smart policies, allocate incentives wisely, and develop innovations to reduce greenhouse gasses and achieve net zero emissions. In the wake of this news, I want to applaud our leadership for what they’ve already done – and continue to press for change and progress at every level.
We have a hard path ahead, and I don’t want to sugarcoat the obstacles we’re facing. It will be difficult to reduce emissions to the levels needed to reach our goals, and this shift in the regulatory environment makes the task even harder. But even now there are opportunities for states to collaborate and lead with industry partners to build our low-carbon future.
Now is the time to commit to immediate and sustained action, because people on the front lines of climate change continue to face a vulnerable and uncertain future. Our goal doesn’t change, regardless of judicial rulings: we’re focused on helping PEOPLE by cultivating healthier, more sustainable communities. By continuing and growing our collaborative efforts at the local and state levels, I believe that we can achieve this goal and create a strong, resilient future in the post-West Virginia vs. EPA world.