A federal appeals court in Washington rejected a bid to put on hold US president Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan. This means the sweeping initiative to curb greenhouse gas emissions can move forward while legal battle wages on.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued on Thursday a two-pay order denying the request by the power industry, along with more than two dozen states to block the implementation of Obama's Clean Power plan. This is effective until challenges are resolved, according to a report by Bloomberg News. The court scheduled a hearing on June 2 for the arguments. The denial is a big blow to coal producers and equipment providers, as well as the states where they operate, like Kentucky and West Virginia.
Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, the rejection of the bid is a big victory for the environmentalists who worked hard to curb climate change. If the bid was approved, it would have stopped the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing President Obama's Clean Power Plan.
"We are confident that the plan will reduce carbon pollution and deliver better air quality, improved public health and jobs across the country," said Obama press secretary Josh Earnest. "We look forward to continuing to work with states and other stakeholders taking steps to implement the Clean Power Plan."
USA Today reported that the Clean Power Plan is President Obama's cornerstone for the climate change movement, which is now part of the United nations climate agreement. Its major goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emission in power plants to only 32 in the next 15 years.
The more than two dozen states that want to put on hold the Clean Power Plan were mostly led by Republicans and businesses associated to fossil fuels. These groups believe carbon-cutting initiative is an "unlawful power grab" that would lead to the loss of mining jobs and increase electricity costs.
