(Ottawa) The United States has other tools at its disposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault. He reacted Tuesday to the recent decision of the American Supreme Court which limits the power of the federal government in the matter, at the end of a trip to Washington.
Posted at 7:10 p.m.
Updated at 7:18 p.m.
“The Supreme Court’s judgment has come up often in the conversations I’ve had over the past two days,” he said during a telephone press conference.
He notably met with Interior Secretary Deb Halaand, whose department manages natural resources, and White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (EPA) under the administration of Barack Obama. He also had discussions with senators and heads of environmentally concerned non-governmental organizations.
“I think it would be a mistake to think that this is the end of America’s ambitions on climate change, on clean energy,” he added.
In a six-to-three decision on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA does not have the authority to set standards for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants in coal. US President Joe Biden wrote in writing that it was “another devastating decision aimed at reversing [le] country”, since the judgment fell six days after that which revoked the right to abortion. Environmental groups were appalled.
On the one hand, it is a decision concerning a regulation that does not exist. It had been proposed by the Obama administration. It had been challenged in court. Then Trump arrives, he changes that regulation to water it down.
Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
This new regulatory power was subsequently challenged by states who felt it did not go far enough, before being abandoned for good by the Trump administration. “And the Biden administration had not signaled its intention to move forward with this regulation specifically,” he said.
The EPA still has regulatory authority to limit air pollution under the Clean Air Act, argued the Minister. It may, for example, require a reduction in mercury emissions from coal or a reduction in polluting emissions from vehicles.
“When you look at the energy profile of the United States – and it’s true for Canada too – coal is on the decline just about everywhere, but it’s especially true in the United States,” said- he noted. He pointed out in passing that the cost of renewable energies is lower than that of traditional energies, such as coal.
“Beyond the regulations, it is the market that is taking care of that as well,” he added.
A global agreement on biodiversity
The Federal Environment Minister also hammered home the need for a global agreement to curb the “alarming rate” of biodiversity loss.
Steven Guilbeault met several organizations that campaign for the environment as well as elected officials during his visit to the American capital.
In particular, he underlined the importance of the next United Nations meeting on biodiversity to be held in December in Montreal.
“Several of the people met have expressed an interest in participating in this meeting,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
These discussions were intended to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, whether for example on issues of energy, transportation electrification, conservation or endangered species, and not to put pressure on the United States. , said Mr. Guilbeault.
“It’s a visit where the objectives are how we can maintain and even improve the collaboration that we have on many of these subjects,” he concluded.
With The Canadian Press