EPA Seen as Prepared for Big Challenges Ahead of Carbon Rules

The EPA’s lawyers and rule writers face challenges as they work to finalize incoming carbon rules that avoid running afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on power plant emissions, but the long runway up to the decision gave the agency adequate time to prepare, court watchers say.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that the Environmental Protection Agency didn’t have express permission from Congress to regulate on a broad, sector-wide basis under the Clean Air Act. The ruling didn’t rescind any authority to regulate greenhouse gases, but major, science-based moves to mitigate severe climate impacts got harder.

“EPA probably ...