"A federal judge rejected a challenge from 12 states with Republican attorneys general that attempted to block the Biden administration from using certain figures to calculate the climate benefits of rules it puts forward, known as the "social costs" of greenhouse gases.

The states sued the Biden administration in March, trying to prevent it from using interim values for the costs of carbon, methane and nitrous oxide that were calculated during the Obama administration and adjusted for inflation.

Both Democratic and Republican administrations have used this “social cost” calculation to quantify the climate benefits or consequences in cost-benefit analyses that provide legal justification for their regulatory actions."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill August 31, 2021. [2]