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Administrative Law Keyed to Asimow
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency
Citation:
549 U.S. 497 (2007)Facts
In 1999, a group of 19 private organizations filed a rulemaking petition asking EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles under Section 202(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act. The petition cited evidence of global warming, including that 1998 was the “warmest year on record,” and that greenhouse gases trap heat and accelerate climate change. EPA requested public comment and received over 50,000 comments. In 2003, EPA denied the petition on two grounds: (1) that the Clean Air Act does not authorize EPA to issue mandatory regulations addressing global climate change, and (2) that even if EPA had the authority, it would decline to exercise it because regulation would conflict with other administration priorities. Massachusetts and other states, local governments, and private organizations sought judicial review of EPA’s decision. The D.C. Circuit denied the petition for review, with two judges agreeing that EPA properly exercised its discretion. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether EPA had the statutory authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles and whether its stated reasons for refusing to do so were consistent with the statute.
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