Supreme Court Weakens Federal Agency Powers
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In a significant victory for conservative efforts to curtail the power of federal agencies, the Supreme Court ruled Friday that agencies may not interpret ambiguous laws to their own advantage.
The ruling came in one of three cases during the 2023-24 term seeking to curtail the power of federal agencies, a conservative effort that has gained traction in recent years.
The case involved a small oil refinery in Wyoming that sought to avoid pollution limits by arguing that the Clean Air Act was ambiguous on the issue. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disagreed and imposed the limits, prompting the refinery to sue.
The Supreme Court sided with the refinery, ruling that the EPA had exceeded its authority by interpreting the law in its own favor. The Court held that agencies may only interpret laws when they are clear and unambiguous, and that the EPA had failed to meet this standard in this case.
The ruling is a major setback for the Biden administration, which has sought to use federal agencies to address a wide range of issues, including climate change, gun control, and healthcare.
The administration has argued that agencies need the flexibility to interpret laws in order to adapt to changing circumstances. But the Supreme Court's ruling suggests that the Court is skeptical of this argument, and that it is likely to continue to limit the power of agencies in the future.
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