Statement on SCOTUS Ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2022

CONTACT:
Molly Moore, Director of Program Communications, [email protected], (847) 401-3633

Appalachian Voices Statement on SCOTUS Ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA

“The Clean Air Act is a common-sense, bipartisan law intended to protect our air from becoming a dumping ground for corporate polluters. By restricting how the EPA can address climate-altering carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act, this Supreme Court ruling endangers all of us and future generations, and the harm will be felt most acutely in communities that are already disadvantaged. It’s critical for the Biden administration to use the full scope of its authority to combat climate change and for states and public utilities to hold up their end of the responsibility to limit harmful and climate-damaging carbon dioxide pollution,” said Appalachian Voices Executive Director Tom Cormons.

“Today’s decision underscores the need for strong state and utility policies along with federal actions to reduce carbon emissions, but public pressure is urgently needed to make sure these states and utilities do the right thing. In Virginia, Gov. Youngkin is currently looking to undo the commonwealth’s commitment to capping carbon emissions and funding energy efficiency and flood prevention programs by leaving the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In North Carolina, Duke Energy’s recently proposed carbon plan is insufficient for addressing climate change in a timely manner as it leans too heavily on polluting methane gas and doesn’t capture the benefits of distributed renewables such as rooftop solar. Meanwhile, the federally-owned Tennessee Valley Authority is planning the second-largest methane gas buildout of any utility in the nation,” said Appalachian Voices Senior Energy Analyst Rory McIlmoil.

Protecting the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountain Region