美国国家公共电台 NPR--The Supreme Court rules the EPA can't set CO2 limits for existing power plants

The Supreme¹ Court rules the EPA can't set CO2 limits for existing power plants

Transcript²

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to set limits on carbon emissions⁴ from existing power plants.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The Supreme Court is out with its final decisions of the term, and they are on two big cases. In a 6-3 decision, it ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to set limits on carbon emissions from existing power plants. However, in a 5-4 decision, the court sided with the Biden administration in a major immigration case, saying the administration was within its rights to terminate the Trump⁵ administration policy known as Remain in Mexico. We're joined by two NPR correspondents to talk through these - both of these decisions and their implications. We're going to start with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Nina, can you walk us through the basics of the decision on the EPA?

NINA TOTENBERG, BYLINE⁶: This was all about coal-fired power plants and how you regulate them to try to get to the problem of climate change, 'cause it's the major source of the kinds of gases - that leak greenhouse gases that basically create climate change. So the court said that all of the regulations that the Obama administration had put in effect, which were not actually specifically at issue in this case, and even any other regulations involving climate change - they cannot be the subject of regulation by the EPA because they were not considered as targeted at climate change at the time that the law was enacted⁷ decades ago. And it said that any agency that does something this big and this new and transformative, like addressing climate change - their regulations are going to be presumptively invalid⁸ unless Congress has specifically authorized⁹ regulating in this sphere. And Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for a 6 to 3 court. Justice Kagan wrote for the dissenters¹⁰.

MART?NEZ: Nina, what does this mean then for the future of President Biden's climate agenda and actually that of future presidents, too?

TOTENBERG: It could mean a lot because already the Biden administration has started policies across the government aimed at curtailing¹¹ climate change. And all of those may now be in doubt from regulations at the Securities and Exchange Commission telling investors¹² that they - the companies that they have to disclose to investors if there's a climate change problem to rules at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and I assume much more that I don't know about yet, but we all will.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. The court's three liberal justices dissented¹³. What did they have to say?

TOTENBERG: Justice Kagan, writing for the dissenters, said, today the court strips the EPA of the power Congress gave it to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time. It deprives EPA of power needed and the power granted to curb¹⁴ the emission³ of greenhouse gases. Whatever else this court may know, it does not have a clue about how to address climate change.

MART?NEZ: Finally, Nina, we've just heard that the court is going to hear a very controversial case next term on election law. Can you briefly¹⁵ tell us about that?

TOTENBERG: It's a case from North Carolina, and the court will examine the so-called independent state legislature doctrine¹⁶. Basically, it's a theory that could reshape how we conduct federal elections. The doctrine argues that state legislatures have independent power, not subject to review by the state courts or state constitutions, that the state legislatures are - have unfettered discretion¹⁷ to set election rules that even, as I said, are at odds¹⁸ with their own state constitutions. It would be a huge deal because it would potentially reshape how we do everything and give a free hand to state legislatures to do extreme partisan¹⁹ gerrymandering, even more than they already do.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

4 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

9 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

10 dissenters   

n.持异议者，持不同意见者( dissenter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He attacked the indulgence shown to religious dissenters. 他抨击对宗教上持不同政见者表现出的宽容。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• (The dissenters would have allowed even more leeway to the Secretary.) （持异议者还会给行政长官留有更多的余地。） 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

11 curtailing   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They will be curtailing the discussions at two thirty. 他们将把讨论缩短至两点半。 来自互联网
• Individually, banks are acting rationally by retaining their capital and curtailing lending. 此外，银行们正在合理地保留其资本和减少贷款。 来自互联网

12 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

13 dissented   

不同意，持异议( dissent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We dissented from the decision. 对那项决定我们表示了不同意见。
• He dissented and questioned the justice of the award. 他提出质问，说裁判不公允。

14 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

15 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

16 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

17 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

18 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

19 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。