Obama’s Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gases to Face Challenges in Court

There’s no doubt about it. Climate control is definitely a relevant topic; one that, based on the decisions that are made now, will definitely impact our future. This is a big part of the reason why President Obama is currently being so aggressive when it comes to his desire to push through the kind of legislation that will actually cut the amount of greenhouse gases that are permitted into the atmosphere.

Ultimately, if the president’s proposal proves to be a successful one, it will mean that the amount of carbon dioxide that comes from the nation’s power plants will be limited. That’s because what he wants is to ultimately deter these companies from using coal (which creates approximately twice as much carbon dioxide as burning gas) and solely replace them with options such as wind, solar power and yes, gas.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that many of the environmental activists are in full support of the president’s efforts. Aside from the fact that carbon dioxide undoubtedly contributes to global warming, overexposure has also linked it to health issues such as headaches, dizziness, memory loss, depression and even cardiac, lung and blood diseases.
However, it doesn’t appear that the president is going to have an easy time getting his plan accepted as he would like. Currently, there appears to be a significant amount of lack of support from Congress, not so much because of his “bottom line objective” but his approach for how it desires for it to be handled.

As a matter of fact, men like Ross Eisenberg (of the National Association of Manufacturers) has actually gone on record stating that it is his belief (along with many others) that approaching this matter from the perspective of revisiting the Clean Air Act—a law that actually provides the administration with the authority to act as it specifically relates to greenhouse gases—is not the approach that needs to be taken. To him, climate control should be decided by Congress.

A part of the reason for this concern is that many believe that the Clean Air Act can be interpreted in a myriad of ways and so if the president seeks to incorporate changes within the program, it could provide to have a bit of a domino effect in ways that have yet to be full anticipated. (This is just one reason why if you are someone who is strongly considering working the environmental industry, you can see how going to get your LLM degree online from Vermont Law could prove to be a wise decision. These kinds of issues are going to be a continual reality for years to come.)

It should also go on record that until the president decided to pursue making certain adjustments, the Environmental Protection Agency has been using regulations within each plant in the United States rather than ruling that one technology should be preferred over another. However, if the president’s plan is approved, there will have to be a decision made not only with regards to how new plants will use energy but how the existing ones should be regulated as well. (For now, it is projected that the rules will be given on a state by state basis.)

For this matter to be totally resolved, the Supreme Court will have to look at several factors and that could take some time. For now, one thing is for sure. The president knows that however the matter is handled, it will leave a lasting mark on how he is perceived long after his term has ended. Whether his planned is passed. Or not.