紐時賞析／法規還未確定就封殺！ 美國最高法院大幅限縮環保署權力

一辆车今年4月行经宾州印第安那郡荷马城发电厂附近道路，这是该州现存最大燃煤发电厂。美国最高法院的一连串的判决，已显著限缩环保署保护环境、限制污染物排放的权力。（纽约时报）

Justices’ Rulings Sharply Curtail E.P.A. Authority

美国最高法院大幅限缩环保署权力

A spate of decisions over the past two years by the Supreme Court has significantly impaired the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit pollution in the air and water, regulate the use of toxic chemicals and reduce the greenhouse gases that are heating the planet.

美国最高法院过去2年间的一连串判决，让环保署限制空气和水污染、规范有毒化学品使用以及减少让地球暖化温室气体的权力显著限缩。

The environmental agency has been under fire, the result of a series of cases brought since 2022 by conservative activists who say that EPA regulations have driven up costs for industries ranging from electric utilities to homebuilding. Those arguments have resonated among justices skeptical of government regulation.

保守派活动人士自2022年提起一系列案件，让环保署一直受到严厉批评。这些人士说，环保署的法规推高各行各业成本，从电业到住宅建造。这些论点在对政府管制持怀疑态度的大法官之间产生共鸣。

On Friday, the court ended the use of what is known as the Chevron doctrine, a cornerstone of administrative law for 40 years that said that courts should defer to government agencies to interpret unclear laws. That decision threatens the authority of many federal agencies to regulate the environment and also health care, workplace safety, telecommunications, the financial sector and more.

周五，最高法院终止被称为「雪佛龙原则」的使用，这是行政法40年来的基础。该原则说，法院应听从政府机构诠释不确定的法律。这个判决威胁许多联邦机构规范环境的权力，还有医疗保健、职场安全、电信、金融行业等等。

But more remarkable have been several decisions by the court to intervene to stop environmental regulations before they were decided by lower courts or even before they were implemented by the executive branch.

但更值得注意的是，在下级法院判决之前，甚至在行政部门实施之前，最高法院作出几个介入判决以中止环境法规。

On Thursday, the court said the EPA could not limit smokestack pollution that blows across state borders under a measure known as the “good neighbor rule.” In that case, the court took the surprising step of weighing in while litigation was still pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

周四，最高法院表示，环保署不能根据一项名为「睦邻规定」的措施，限制吹过州界的烟囱污染。在这起案件，当诉讼仍在哥伦比亚特区联邦巡回上诉法院等候判决时，最高法院采取令人吃惊的介入举动。

The court also acted in an unusually preliminary fashion last year when it struck down a proposed EPA rule known as Waters of the United States that was designed to protect millions of acres of wetlands from pollution, acting before the regulation had even been made final.

最高法院去年还以一种不寻常的先行方式，封杀环保署研拟中一项名为「美国水域」的法规，这项法规是为了保护数百万英亩湿地免受污染，最高法院在该法规确定前就采取行动。

Similarly, in a 2022 challenge to an EPA climate proposal known as the Clean Power Plan, the court limited the agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, even though that rule had not yet taken effect.

同样的，最高法院2022年对环保署名为「清洁能源计划」的气候提案提出异议，限制环保署规范发电厂温室气体排放的能力，即使该规定还没有生效。

Collectively, those decisions now not only endanger many existing environmental rules but also may prevent future administrations from writing new ones, experts say.

专家说，整体而言，这些判决如今不只危及许多现行环境规定，还可能妨碍未来的政府制定新规定。

“This court has shown an interest in making law in this area and not having the patience to wait for the cases to first come up through the courts,” said Kevin Minoli, a lawyer who worked in the EPA’s office of general counsel from the Clinton through the Trump administrations. “It’s like, we’re going to tell you the answer before you even ask the question.”

曾从柯林顿至川普政府任职环保署法律总顾问办公室的律师米诺里表示，「这个最高法院已表现出在此一领域制定法律的兴趣，而且没有耐心等待案件先经由各级法院审理。情况就像，我们将告诉你答案，甚至在你问问题之前」。

文／Coral Davenport　译／周辰阳