Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that was ostensibly about the EPA’s regulatory authority (or lack thereof), but ultimately a reminder to Congress that Congress has a job to do and maybe should try doing it for a change instead of just complaining a lot (and fundraising, of course).
The Supreme Court sharply curtails the authority of the EPA to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change. In a 6-3 ruling, the court sides with conservative states and fossil-fuel companies in adopting a narrow reading of the Clean Air Act.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 30, 2022
Needless to say, Democrats in Congress are angry. Really angry.
But apparently not quite angry enough to actually get up off their butts and do anything meaningful about it. Best they can do is stuff like what Democratic Reps. Mike Levin and Katie Porter are doing. Brace yourselves, guys: they’ve written a letter. A strongly worded one:
We only have one planet and we must do everything we can to strengthen environmental standards & protect the health & well-being of all Americans.
Today, @RepKatiePorter and I sent a letter outlining steps the @EPA can take to address pollution & tackle the #ClimateCrisis. pic.twitter.com/Kz853w8kZ0— Rep. Mike Levin (@RepMikeLevin) June 29, 2022
The Supreme Court just struck a devastating blow to the @EPA's authority to fight the climate crisis, but @RepMikeLevin and I refuse to give up on our planet. We led a letter detailing executive actions the Administration should consider to protect families from pollution. https://t.co/2RVwdofIrG
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) June 30, 2022
So stunning. So brave.
So shamelessly performative.
Supreme Court: “This is a job for Congress.”
Katie Porter: “Got it. I’ll write a letter to the president.” https://t.co/e1ULmJqaO2— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 1, 2022
OK, so they technically wrote that letter before the Supreme Court handed down the ruling. Guess they figured they were just being proactive and getting it out of the way ahead of time so they wouldn’t have to wait until the decision came out. Always smart to get a jump on the holiday weekend early, right?
If only you knew someone who could introduce legislation on the topic
— The H2 (@TheH2) July 1, 2022
Have you considered writing legislation in your role as a legislator?
— Howard Wall 💰📈📝 (@HJWallEcon) July 1, 2022
You are literally a legislator.
— “Max” (@MaxNordau) June 30, 2022
If you’re gonna get technical about it …
Why are you writing letters asking for executive action when you could *write a bill?* Taxpayers aren’t paying you to do letter-writing campaigns to the President.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) June 30, 2022
stop making them work, matt
— Emily Zanotti (@emzanotti) July 1, 2022
Haven’t they suffered enough?!
(Short answer: Nope. Not by a long shot.)
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