Staff Reports
Conservatives were let down when the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a case from states led by Republicans that fought the Biden administration's attempt to put a social cost on carbon. The Court didn't say why they made the choice they did; they just put Missouri v. Biden on the list of petitions for writ of certiorari that were turned down.
Supreme Court Rejects GOP States' Challenge to Biden's Rule Estimating Social Cost of Carbon
GOP concerns about the federal regulation of carbon—a foundational element to all life—will not be heard by the Supreme Court.https://t.co/egXigpJLqy
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) October 12, 2023
This is the second time that the Supreme Court has turned down an appeal to the estimates of the carbon tax's social cost. The Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld a decision to throw out a similar case last year, saying that the states did not have the right to question the estimates.
Even though they lost, Missouri and 10 other states, such as Tennessee, Utah, and Ohio, are still determined to fight against what they see as excessive government power. "We will continue to fight government overreach at every turn," said the office of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
It was through an executive order signed by President Biden in 2021 that the Biden government tried to give carbon a social cost. The "Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases" was set up by the order, and the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions was estimated to be $51 per ton.
The lawsuit's red states said that the prices would have a big effect on the American economy as a whole. They said that the executive order said the agencies "shall" use the interim prices until the final values are made public.
When the states asked for help, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told them that agencies are not required to use the cost estimate. She also stood by the eighth circuit's decision that the states didn't have the right to be involved in the case.
The Supreme Court's ruling hurts conservatives' attempts to question the social cost of carbon estimates, but it's likely that new rules that use these estimates will be challenged in court again. "The same problems with the social cost of carbon numbers exist no matter where they are used," said lawyer David Watkins. In other words, Republicans might still be able to fight these rules in the future.
