(WASHINGTON POST)  Robert Barnes and Steven Mufson February 9, 2016 — The decision puts on hold an ambitious program to tackle climate change while it is challenged in the courts.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a key part of President Obama’s ambitious proposal to limit carbon emissions and reduce global warming while the plan is challenged.

The court granted a stay request from more than two dozen states, plus utilities and coal companies, that said the Environmental Protection Agency was overstepping its powers. The court’s decision does not address the merits of the challenge but indicates justices think the states have raised serious questions.

The administration’s initiative, which is still in the planning stages, required states to submit plans for shifting away from fossil-fuel power plants in favor of alternative forms of energy. It is aimed at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide at existing plants by about a third by 2030.

Source: Supreme Court freezes Obama plan to limit carbon emissions – The Washington Post