Supreme Court Appears Divided Over Obama Climate Change Regulation

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court appeared closely divided on Monday over whether the administration of President Barack Obama exceeded its authority in trying to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Justice Anthony Kennedy would seem to hold the swing vote, with conservative justices skeptical of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approach and liberal justices supportive. During a 90-minute oral argument, Kennedy offered some criticism of the government's position but did not indicate which way he would vote.

The justices are weighing just one aspect of the administration's first wave of climate change regulations, focusing only on whether the agency has authority to regulate greenhouse gases under a program for issuing permits for stationary sources of pollution, such as power plants and oil refineries. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller)