Supreme Court Rules EPA Overreached Authority in Clean Power Plan

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the West Virginia v. EPA case that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in trying to enforce its Clean Power Plan. It is being lauded as a victory by Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor and U.S. Senator James Lankford.

O’Connor filed a amicus brief in the West Virginia v. EPA case.

“This ruling is a big win for our system of government,” said O’Connor. “In our country, the federal government has limited powers, and federal agencies are not entitled to invent radical powers out of thin air, like the EPA did here. Once again, our office has stood firm on behalf of Oklahomans and Oklahoma businesses, and successfully pushed back against federal overreach that threatens our jobs and the economy.”

Lankford says that the Supreme Court’s decision on this case keeps any executive administration from overreaching authority through regulation, instead of Congressional authority.

“The Supreme Court affirmed again the basic constitutional fact that our nation has three equal branches of government, and the responsibility of enacting laws lies solely with the Congress, not unelected bureaucrats. The EPA clearly overreached its authority when it forced Americans to transition away from certain power sources because of their preference, not stated law. The Supreme Court rightly ruled that the EPA may not require this scheme because Congress did not explicitly give the EPA this authority. This decision could help bring a balance to all agencies that consider writing regulations based on what they want the law to say, rather than what it actually says,” said Lankford, who lead an amicus brief with 45 Senators and 44 House Members.

Oklahoma has six coal fired power plants.