Good news -- Chief Justice John Roberts has rejected the call to issue a stay on enforcement of the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards requested by the group of 20 states suing the EPA to stop it.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards were previously blocked by the court for reasons that I would call nonsensical, but the EPA agreed to make the necessary changes to the standards so they could be enforced.
The group of 20 states suing the EPA tried to have the updated standards blocked, but Justice Roberts turned them down.
EPA spokeswoman Melissa Harrison said on Thursday the agency is “very pleased” with Roberts’s order.
“These practical and achievable standards cut harmful pollution from power plants, saving thousands of lives each year and preventing heart and asthma attacks,” she said, adding that the agency’s calculations show $9 in health benefits for every dollar in compliance costs for the regulation.
Harrison confirmed that the EPA next month plans to finalize a fix to the rule to retroactively apply its cost-benefit analysis in the way the Supreme Court said was necessary.
Enforcement of the rules was originally blocked by the court because the EPA conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the rules after writing the rules rather than before.
I don't know how you're suppose conduct that kind of analysis without first determining what the rules will be but, you know, whateverthefuck.
Today's rejection of a stay is a victory for the EPA and anyone who believes we should have clean air.