A coalition of 24 states, health organizations, and environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, challenging the Trump administration's repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding that has served as the legal foundation for virtually all US climate regulations.
Legal challenge
The lawsuit, filed in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, argues the EPA's rescission of the endangerment finding is unlawful under the Clean Air Act. The endangerment finding, established under the 2007 Supreme Court decision Massachusetts v. EPA, concluded that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare, obligating the agency to regulate them.
What's at stake
Without the endangerment finding, the EPA loses its legal authority to set vehicle emissions standards, power plant carbon limits, and methane controls. The repeal, announced in February, followed an EPA review that claimed the scientific basis was 'insufficient.' Scientists and public health experts widely condemned the move as ignoring overwhelming evidence.
Broader context
The lawsuit is one of several legal challenges against the administration's climate rollbacks. Eighteen young Americans filed a separate suit, Venner v. EPA, arguing the repeal violates their constitutional rights to life and liberty. Legal analysts expect the case to reach the Supreme Court, which has shown increasing skepticism toward broad agency authority.