Coal Producers Rise After Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks EPA Order

The shares of a number of coal companies are rising after the Supreme Court blocked the Obama administration from implementing a rule that would require a significant cut in power plants’ carbon emissions.

What’s new: In a one page order, the nation’s highest court told the administration to refrain from carrying out the rule, which was issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The court’s four liberal justices said that they did not support the court’s order, but none of the justices explained the rationale for their decisions. The order will prevent the rule from being implemented until the lawsuit against it is decided by an appeals court and is heard by the Supreme Court. The rule would, by 2030, require a 32% cut in power plants’ carbon emissions versus 2005 levels. If implemented, the rule would likely force power plants to use less coal and rely more on cleaner energy sources.

Price action: In morning trading, CONSOL (CNX) rose 1.4% to $7.63, Peabody Energy (BTU) gained 7% to $3.62 and Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) advanced 6% to $1.56.