Will a proposed Obama administration climate change regulation wind up in the Supreme Court? That’s what many observers suspect as the president’s most far-reaching move yet to curb global warming heads to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

 

In two cases that will be jointly argued before the court, the country’s two largest coal companies and 14 coal-producing states will challenge a proposed Enviornmental Protection Agency regulation that would curb carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia are supporting the Obama administration on the rule.

 

Carbon dioxide created by burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change.

 

The regulation could speed up the shift to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar while closing down hundreds of coal-fired power plants, according to The New York Times.

 

No matter who wins this round, the case is widely expected to be appealed and to end up before the Supreme Court.