24 States and 10 Cities Sue EPA Over Repeal of Endangerment Finding That Underpinned US Climate Rules

A coalition of 24 states, 10 cities, and five counties filed a lawsuit on Thursday in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging the Trump administration's repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding — the scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations..

The endangerment finding, established during the Obama administration, served as the legal foundation for virtually all federal climate regulations under the Clean Air Act. It provided the basis for emissions standards on vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas facilities . The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule last month revoking the finding, in what the White House called the single largest deregulatory action in US history Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fightapnews.com·SecondaryEnvironmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Traffic moves on Interstate 94 in Detroit, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S..

The lawsuit was led by the attorneys general of New York, Massachusetts, California, and Connecticut, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also joining the effort . The full list of plaintiffs includes the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and major cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, Columbus, and Albuquerque, along with counties in California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington state US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations..

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who helped lead the coalition, framed the challenge in stark terms. The Trump administration had chosen denial over action, she argued, repealing protections that were foundational to the federal government's response to climate change . Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell echoed those concerns, stating that when the federal government abandons the law and the science, everyday people suffer the consequences US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations..

The coalition's legal argument rests on the premise that the EPA acted illegally in rescinding the finding. The US Supreme Court ruled in a landmark 2007 case, Massachusetts v. EPA, that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Since that decision, courts have uniformly rejected legal challenges to the endangerment finding, including a 2023 decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations..

The EPA, however, has taken a different view. Agency spokeswoman Brigit Hirsch said the administration carefully considered and reevaluated the legal foundation of the 2009 finding in light of subsequent court decisions, including the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, which limited how the Clean Air Act can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants . The agency argued that the lawsuit was not about the law or the merits of any argument, but was clearly motivated by politics US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations..

The EPA's position, articulated in its February rulemaking, is that the Clean Air Act was only intended to regulate pollution that harms health through local and regional exposure, not global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases . The agency maintains it does not have statutory authority to prescribe motor vehicle emission standards for the purpose of addressing global climate change concerns Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fightapnews.com·SecondaryEnvironmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Traffic moves on Interstate 94 in Detroit, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S..

Critics of the administration's argument point out that the scientific consensus on climate change has only strengthened since 2009. Scientists have documented the ways in which greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet, intensifying extreme weather events, degrading air quality, and accelerating the spread of disease Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fightapnews.com·SecondaryEnvironmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Traffic moves on Interstate 94 in Detroit, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S.. Anna Goldman, a physician and medical director of climate and sustainability at Boston Medical Center, warned that the rescission poses a direct threat to the health of all Americans and will directly cause disease and premature death Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fightapnews.com·SecondaryEnvironmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Traffic moves on Interstate 94 in Detroit, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S..

Conservatives and industry advocates, on the other hand, have long argued that the endangerment finding represented regulatory overreach. The original finding gave the EPA sweeping authority to regulate carbon dioxide — a substance produced by virtually every industrial process and even human respiration — under a law designed in 1970 primarily to address smog and particulate pollution. From this perspective, the Trump administration's move corrects what critics see as an administrative power grab that bypassed Congress. Industry groups have contended that the economic costs of climate regulations, including higher energy prices and reduced industrial competitiveness, were never adequately weighed against uncertain long-term climate projections.

The lawsuit also challenges a related EPA decision to repeal tailpipe emissions standards for vehicles and engines with model years between 2012 and 2017 US states file lawsuit challenging Trump’s revocation of climate findingaljazeera.com·SecondaryA group of 23 states have filed a legal petition against a decision under United States President Donald Trump to revoke a scientific finding that formed the basis for regulations meant to address climate change. The legal challenge, led by California and New York, was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday.. The repeal of those standards effectively removes greenhouse gas limits from cars and trucks, a move that could have significant implications for the auto industry's trajectory toward electrification.

This is the second major legal challenge to the endangerment repeal. Environmental advocacy organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund, filed a separate lawsuit last month . Peter Zalzal, a leader at the Environmental Defense Fund, argued at the time that repealing the endangerment finding endangers all of us, warning of more pollution, higher costs, and thousands of avoidable deaths US states file lawsuit challenging Trump’s revocation of climate findingaljazeera.com·SecondaryA group of 23 states have filed a legal petition against a decision under United States President Donald Trump to revoke a scientific finding that formed the basis for regulations meant to address climate change. The legal challenge, led by California and New York, was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday.. The DC Circuit may consolidate the two cases Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fightapnews.com·SecondaryEnvironmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Traffic moves on Interstate 94 in Detroit, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S..

California Attorney General Rob Bonta offered a blunt assessment, saying the president is choosing Big Oil profits over public health and betting that the American people will not notice the cost until the bill comes due US states file lawsuit challenging Trump’s revocation of climate findingaljazeera.com·SecondaryA group of 23 states have filed a legal petition against a decision under United States President Donald Trump to revoke a scientific finding that formed the basis for regulations meant to address climate change. The legal challenge, led by California and New York, was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday.. The EPA dismissed that characterization, maintaining its decision was grounded in careful legal analysis.

The case is widely expected to reach the Supreme Court, which is now considerably more conservative than when it issued its 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA decision US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations.. The current court has shown a willingness to curtail agency authority, most notably through the major questions doctrine, which holds that agencies cannot claim broad regulatory power on issues of vast economic and political significance without clear congressional authorization. That doctrinal framework could prove decisive in determining whether the EPA can — or must — regulate greenhouse gases under the existing Clean Air Act.

The political geography of the dispute underscores the partisan dimensions of climate policy in the United States. All 24 states that joined the lawsuit are led by Democrats US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate findingtheguardian.com·SecondaryLawsuit says rescission of endangerment finding – which ruled greenhouse gases threaten public health – was illegal Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A coalition of 24 states, alongside a dozen cities and counties, has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the bedrock scientific determination underpinning virtually all US climate regulations.. Republican-led states have generally supported the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda, arguing that aggressive climate rules impose disproportionate costs on energy-producing regions and rural communities that depend on fossil fuel industries.

For now, the legal battle joins a growing roster of challenges to the Trump administration's environmental rollbacks. The outcome will determine not only whether the specific endangerment finding is reinstated, but whether the federal government retains the legal tools to regulate the emissions that scientists say are driving climate change. With the Supreme Court likely to have the final word, the case could reshape the boundaries of executive power over environmental regulation for decades to come.