Options for Regulating Carbon Emissions after the WV vs EPA SCOTUS Decision

NCRES- Options for Regulating Carbon Emissions after the WV vs EPA SCOTUS Decision

In 2022, the Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. EPA sharply limited the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon emissions from the electric power sector. Rejecting an approach that the agency took under the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, the Court held that the EPA may not take into consideration the availability of renewable energy resources, like wind and solar generators, when determining the carbon pollution reduction targets for existing coal- and gas-burning power plants. The Court’s decision took away one of the federal government’s most effective tools for driving significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power sector.

For this webinar, we’ll be joined by Andres Restrepo, a senior attorney for the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, who will give an overview of the implications of the decision and what alternatives remain for EPA—as well as state and local governments — to reduce carbon emissions from the electric power sector.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Andres Restrepo is a senior attorney with the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program. Since 2013, he has worked for the Club primarily to advance stringent limits on greenhouse gases and other pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, oil and gas operations, residential and commercial heating appliances, and other sectors of the economy.

Andres was born in Massachusetts and grew up primarily in Colorado, where he developed a deep appreciation for the natural environment. He received a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a senior articles editor on the Harvard Law and Policy Review. From 2010 to 2012, he was a Beagle Litigation Fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and subsequently clerked for the Honorable Eric N. Vitaliano on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two daughters.

The program was hosted by Peter Eberle, NCRES Program Manager.

A question and answer session followed the presentation.

TIMELINE:

0:00 Welcome and announcements - Peter Eberle
2:00 Presentation - Andres Restrepo
29:42 Q&A

This program was organized by the Northern Colorado chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and was recorded at their March 28, 2023 meeting. Contact us at [email protected] or visit us online at https://www.cres-energy.org/.

CREDITS:

Video production by Brian Beinlich, https://brianbeinlich.com.
Intro/outro music: “Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge” by Kevin MacLeod via the Youtube Audio Library.
Intro/outro video by Kelly Lacy via Pexels. Source: https://www.pexels.com/video/traffic-...

ABOUT CRES:

For more than 25 years, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and its local chapters have provided education, policy advocacy, and community engagement to accelerate Colorado toward a 100% renewable energy future. CRES is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)3 membership organization that drives environmental, social, and economic benefits for our communities by promoting all forms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, high-performance buildings, and other low- or zero-carbon solutions.

CRES features several local monthly speaker series throughout the state, provides speakers, experts, and workshops, and weighs in on state energy policy.

Learn more about CRES, membership, and how you can sign up to become a speaker or volunteer by visiting our website at https://cres-energy.org.