Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon voice support for Obama’s Clean Power Plan

Tech giants Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon have submitted a joint brief to the Washington, D.C. Circuit Court in support of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. The CPP aims to empower the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate emissions from power plants across the U.S.

The CPP was blocked in February by the Supreme Court after “five separate stay applications were filed by more than two dozen states and numerous industry groups,” the Washington Post writes. Unsurprisingly, a similarly large assortment of states (such as New York and California), municipalities, public officials, special interest groups, and tech companies are now rallying in support of the CPP.

The brief filed by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon states that “increasing the use of renewable energy is good for the environment and good for business.” The court is expected to hear arguments regarding the case on June 2, the Times writes.

Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon — jointly known in the brief as “Tech Amici” — broke down their pitch into three main arguments (quoted below, apologies for the title case).

• “Using More Renewable Energy Mitigates Climate Change and Makes Good Business Sense.”
• “Tech Amici Are Using a Variety of Straightforward and Effective Strategies to Increase Use of Renewable Generation — Strategies That Are Also Available to Owners of Regulated Power Plants Under the Clean Power Plan.”
• “Trends Already Underway in the U.S. Electric Sector Affirm the Growth of Renewable Energy Generation Incorporated in the Clean Power Plan.”

You can view the full filing below.

Updated 9:39 a.m. PT with additional details from the filing and corrected 10:10 a.m. PT with the correct date of the Supreme Court stay.