

The Supreme Court’s E.P.A. Decision is a Blow to the Fight Against Climate Change

Jun 30, 2022

Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), today issued the following statement in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s powers under the Clean Air Act.

NACTO is deeply concerned by today’s decision by the Supreme Court to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to restrict power plant emissions. At a time when we need bold, aggressive action to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, this ruling severely curtails the federal government’s ability to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are putting our health and the future of our planet at risk.

The implications of the decision could extend far beyond coal-burning power plants, and hamper the power of government agencies to address the existential threat of climate change. Nowhere is this work more important than in the transportation sector, which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the United States. Transportation accounts for 27% of the country’s total GHG emissions, 83% of which come from driving.

The Court’s ruling could make it even more challenging for the Biden Administration to change this reality. Nevertheless, the administration must do everything it can to ensure a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future for all Americans.

The federal government can and should adopt policies and regulations that reduce car use, support low-carbon modes of transportation, and incentivize walkable land use patterns. It should set targets to reduce transportation-derived greenhouse gas emissions; make investments in accessible public transit, pedestrian, and bike infrastructure; and help cities redesign streets to prioritize more sustainable forms of transportation.

We must act quickly and decisively: the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that our planet is heading toward an increasingly uninhabitable future unless we take immediate steps to change course. There is no time to waste.


About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)



Billy Richling | [email protected]

For Immediate Release

June 30, 2022