Current:Home > ScamsOregon appeals court finds the rules for the state’s climate program are invalid -Secure Horizon Growth
Oregon appeals court finds the rules for the state’s climate program are invalid
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:35:27
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A state appeals court in Oregon decided late Wednesday that the rules for a program designed to limit and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel companies are invalid. The program, started in 2022, is one of the strongest climate programs in the nation.
State environmental officials said the court’s decision hinges on an administrative error and doesn’t touch on whether the state Department of Environmental Quality has the authority to implement the program. The Climate Protection Program targets a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas by 2050.
Wednesday’s decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals comes in a case brought by fossil fuel companies that alleged the state Environmental Quality Commission erred in its rulemaking for the program. The commission acts as the Department of Environmental Quality’s policy and rulemaking board.
The court in its decision said it concluded the rules for the program were invalid.
The department said the decision was limited to an administrative error and not effective immediately, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
“The court did not make a decision about whether the Environmental Quality Commission has authority to adopt the Climate Protection Program,” Lauren Wirtis, a department spokesperson, said in a statement.
The department is confident it has the authority to adopt and enforce the program and is evaluating next steps with the state Department of Justice, Wirtis said.
NW Natural, one of the litigants, said it was pleased with the court’s decision and that it is committed to moving toward a low-carbon energy future.
A group of environmental, climate and social justice groups agreed with the state position that the decision focused on a procedural technicality and did not undermine the Department of Environmental Quality’s authority to set greenhouse gas emissions limits on the oil and gas industry.
veryGood! (124)
Related
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Bradley Cooper Proves He Is Gigi Hadid’s Biggest Supporter During NYC Shopping Trip
- Canada wildfires never stopped, they just went underground as zombie fires smolder on through the winter
- With trial starting next month, Manhattan DA asks judge for a gag order in Trump’s hush-money case
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Americans are spending the biggest share of their income on food in 3 decades
- Counting On's Jeremiah Duggar and Wife Hannah Welcome Baby No. 2
- Sophia Grace Will Have Your Heartbeat Runnin' Away With Son River's First Birthday Party
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Death row inmate Thomas Eugene Creech set for execution this week after nearly 50 years behind bars
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Cam Newton involved in fight at Georgia youth football camp
- Wendy Williams documentary deemed 'exploitative,' 'disturbing': What we can learn from it.
- 2 killed, 2 wounded in Milwaukee when victims apparently exchange gunfire with others, police say
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Man beat woman to death with ceramic toilet cover in Washington hotel, police say
- Eagles’ Don Henley quizzed at lyrics trial about time a naked 16-year-old girl overdosed at his home
- Surge in syphilis cases drives some doctors to ration penicillin
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Love Is Blind’s Bartise Bowden Reveals Real Reason He Hasn’t Shared New Girlfriend’s Identity
Police in small Missouri town fatally shoot knife-wielding suspect during altercation
U.S. Air Force member dies after setting himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy in Washington in apparent protest against war in Gaza
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Kenneth Mitchell, 'Star Trek: Discovery' actor, dies after battle with ALS
Jennifer Aniston Proves Her Workout Routine Is Anything But Easy
Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen among 2.3 million vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here