The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that will cut back on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. However, fuel economy standards will remain intact. Regulations can have big implications because for innovation because they force the adoption of new technologies.
However, there is likely to be no effect on technology, such as capturing carbon dioxide from power plants. Jonas Monast, the director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University, argues that the Supreme Court is focusing on a narrow portion and therefore won’t affect Obama’s push for regulation. However, some think it will significantly impact the EPA as it might rule that they have no authority to regulate emissions anymore.
Nevertheless, it seems this ruling will not affect technology. The EPA regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions will only create a shift from coal to natural gas. These regulations will do little or nothing to promote carbon capture or the use of renewables.
If the Supreme Court had asked a broader question of the EPA concerning greenhouse gas emissions in general, they may have been able to make a better case and seriously limit the U.S. EPA’s regulating authority.
Credit: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/520331/the-greenhouse-gas-case-before-the-supreme-court-wont-matter-for-tech/
