More than 20 states have filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of a landmark climate finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health and are subject to federal regulation.
Attorneys general of New York, Massachusetts, California, and Connecticut co-led a coalition of states suing the EPA for overturning the 2009 endangerment finding.
The states filed a petition for a review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing that the Trump administration’s action contradicts scientific evidence and that the legal basis for repealing the finding is inconsistent with the EPA’s statutory authority under the Clean Air Act.
“Instead of helping Americans face our new reality, the Trump administration has chosen denial, repealing critical protections that are foundational to the federal government’s response to climate change,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
More than 10 cities and counties also joined the states in filing for a petition.
“This is what corruption looks like,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said in a statement. “Donald Trump is breaking the laws that protect Americans from climate pollution — all to enrich his Big Oil and his wealthy polluting allies.”
The EPA finalized a rule last month to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding, which concluded that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, pose a threat to public health and welfare.
The Obama administration issued the 2009 endangerment finding in response to the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gas emissions are pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The finding has served as a legal basis for the EPA to regulate vehicle emissions.
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Last month, environmental and health groups sued the EPA, arguing that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to limit vehicle emissions in light of the Supreme Court ruling.
Along with repealing the finding, the EPA also eliminated tailpipe emission standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines from model years 2012 to 2027 and beyond. It also ended fuel-saving features for cars such as stop-start, which the administration has argued consumers strongly dislike.
