Decision favors EPA effort to reduce cross-state pollution

Court endorses the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to decrease air pollution blowing across state; an important victory for the administration and downwind states. The six to two decision unblocks the 2011 rule that requires 28 eastern states to reduce power-plant emissions that blows across state lines, hurting air quality in downwind. Justice Ginsburg writes in the majority opinion:

The EPA’s formula for dealing with cross-state air pollution was “permissible, workable and equitable.

The ruling forces approximately 1,000 power plants to adopt new pollution controls that limit emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide.