The US Supreme Court has just issued its decision in the Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) case. Massachusetts (and several other states and groups) had petitioned the EPA to issue regulations on emission of greenhouse gases by new motor vehicles in the US. EPA had refused, saying that it does not have authority to regulate the emissions and that even if it did have authority, such regulations were not justified.
The Supreme Court decision of today found that EPA both has authority to issue the regulations and that the EPA had rejected the petition based on improper considerations. While this doesn't mean that EPA now has to issue the regulations, it does mean that EPA will have to reconsider the petition in light of the Supreme Court's opinion, and it's certainly a step in the right direction.
So good news there, and even better news for me as I have an essay about this very case due today
