The Biden administration has temporarily halted its proposed climate change regulations amidst a series of legal challenges. This move came after lawsuits were filed by multiple states and industry groups, arguing the regulations overstep the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority and could be detrimental to their economies. The focus of most lawsuits is the administration’s push to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions, especially from power plants and vehicles.
While this pause is temporary, it represents a setback for the administration’s ambitious climate agenda. The EPA will likely take the response from the court cases into consideration in formulating any future regulations. Despite this, the administration remains committed to its goal of combating climate change.
It would be misleading to label the regulations as a ‘climate mandate’. Rather, they are part of a wider strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the administration aims to make the electricity sector carbon-free by 2035 and to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2035 compared to 2005 levels.
