WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal regulators can trump more permissive state officials in some disputes over costly measures to limit air pollution, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in a ruling that departed from the court’s trend toward granting state governments more power.
Alaska’s governor wanted to allow the world’s largest zinc mine to use cheaper, less effective anti-pollution equipment, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency said no. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling upholds EPA’s veto power in such cases.
The victory for environmentalists may be more symbolic than substantive.