West Virginia v. EPA

The Court limited EPA authority over power plant emissions under the Clean Air Act via the major questions doctrine.

Overview

The Obama-era Clean Power Plan set systemwide emission caps that would shift generation from coal to cleaner sources. Chief Justice Roberts, for a 6-3 majority, declined to read the Clean Air Act as granting the EPA authority to restructure the nation's energy mix, invoking the major questions doctrine: questions of vast economic and political significance require clear congressional authorization. The decision constrained agency power over climate policy, formalized the major questions doctrine, and now shapes challenges to administrative action across the federal government.