Franciscans Disappointed in Supreme Court Temporary Stay on EPA Coal Regulations

The Franciscan Action Network was dismayed by this week’s Supreme Court ruling that temporarily halts the proposed regulations on coal power plants, known as the Clean Power Plan, put forth by the Obama administration. The science on climate change has been decided, and the most vulnerable around the world are already seeing the effects of the earth’s temperature rising at an unprecedented rate. Rather than working in the best interests of the American people, it appears as though the Supreme Court has succumbed to the will of the fossil fuel industry.

“At the end of last year, the entire world agreed that something must be done now about climate change at the COP21 conference in Paris,” remarked Franciscan Action Network executive director Patrick Carolan. “The member nations of the UN listened to the Pope’s call for action during his speech in New York City in September but it’s unclear to me why the Supreme Court didn’t get the memo. They’ve failed future generations of Americans and need to look no further than the extreme weather events that are occurring across the country and world with increasing frequency and strength to know that it’s long past time for the United States to reduce its carbon footprint.”

It’s expected for the decision to be appealed but this is a step backwards for people currently impacted by the effects of climate change and for future generations. Rather than sending a message to the world that the United States is interesting in fixing a problem it helped create, the Supreme Court showed it’s true colors: that it’s in the pocket of special interest groups.