While Thursday's ruling relates to the EPA's authority to regulate power plant emissions, legal experts said it raises questions about the authority of fellow federal agencies and suggests the court may block other efforts to ink major rules.
Even before Thursday, powerful corporate groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had argued in comments to the SEC that the proposal, unveiled in March, was unprecedented in its scope and complexity and, as such, exceeded the SEC's authority.Some of the most pointed criticism for the rule, however, has come from Republican politicians, who say that efforts to address environmental and other social issues are best left to elected leaders, not businesses.The seal of the U.S.
Still, some former SEC lawyers said Thursday's ruling would undoubtedly embolden opponents of the rule, some of whom had already signaled they may pursue the issue in the courts.