Environmentalists praise Stevens, the author of landmark climate case

Environmentalists praised retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens as a champion of environmental protection.

Stevens, who announced Friday he would retire this summer, wrote the majority opinion in the landmark case Massachusetts V. EPA. The decision granted federal regulators the authority to force greenhouse gas emissions reductions if the pollution posed a threat to human health and welfare.

“Justice Stevens was a resounding voice on behalf of the Constitution, the rule of law, including environmental protection laws, and the rights of citizens to bring legal challenges against corporations and federal agencies,” said Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, a petitioner in the Mass. v EPA case. EPA has determined greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide do endanger human health and is writing a rule to reduce emissions. Some members of Congress want to stop EPA or delay its rulemaking. Environmental groups are fighting to preserve the power Stevens and the Court gave EPA, particularly given the trouble Congress is having coming up with their own climate plan.

Stevens is the court’s oldest member. He has served on the court for 34 years.