Obama Vows to Act on Climate Change, While Justices Weigh His Approach

In recent days Obama has made good on his promise of acting on Climate Change "with or with out the approval of Congress, stating that a "muscular" executive action is necessary to enact change. This coming Monday, the Supreme Court will consider the limitations of these new founded approach to cut down eliminate green house gas emissions. The Obama administration is trying to regulate emissions from stationary sources like power plants, which Justices argue that the plan is to far fetched and Obama lacks the executive authority. American University law Professor,Amanda C. Leiter, states that "“It is far more important as a matter of optics than of actual legal consequences,” she said. If the government loses, she said, “it would be painted as another situation in which the Obama administration has overreached against the public will.” This presents an obvious struggle between the legislative branch and the executive. Minnesota Representative, Michele Bachmann, states " an intolerable invasion of Congress’s domain that threatens to obliterate the line dividing executive from legislative power.” The struggle that the Obama administration is finding themselves in is one of power diversion. While it has been proven that green house gas emission drastically decrease health and length of lifespan, for not only Americans but all humans, still domestic American politics continue to muddy the waters to a clear alternative.


 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/us/politics/in-emissions-case-supreme-court-to-consider-the-limits-of-obamas-authority.html?ref=us&_r=0


Katelyn Krumreich