The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked enforcement of the Obama administration's ambitious new plan for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The justices granted a plea from 30 states that asked for a temporary hold on the new Clean Energy Plan while the lower courts decide whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the legal authority to impose it. Four members of the court, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented and said they would have allowed the EPA to continue enforcing the rule during the court battle.
Announced last October, the plan seeks to shift the nation's energy production away from coal-burning power plants toward cleaner sources, including solar and wind power.