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US Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Obama's Climate Change Plan

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carbon dioxide, pollution, climate change

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a key part of President Barack Obama's plan to mitigate the effects of climate change. The court agreed today to hear one of the questions presented by nine different petitioners about greenhouse gas regulations outlined in Obama's strategy, according to Reuters.

The issue examines whether the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to limit emissions from cars and trucks requires it to also establish emissions requirements for stationary facilities, such as factories or power plants.

The Supreme Court will decide whether the EPA should treat automobiles and so-called stationary sources differently, and if the agency overstepped its authority in regulating emissions for stationary facilities as part of its rules for cars and trucks. Oral arguments will likely begin early next year, and a ruling is not expected until mid-2014, reported Reuters.

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Denise Chow
Denise Chow
Live Science Contributor

Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.