States Sue EPA Over Climate Deregulation

A coalition of 24 states, along with numerous cities and counties, has sued the United States===United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding. This finding, established during the Obama administration, determined that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, forming the legal basis for most U.S. climate regulations under the Clean Air Act. The Trump administration's repeal eliminates greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and could undo broader climate regulations on power plants and oil and gas facilities. The lawsuit, led by United States===New York, United States===Massachusetts, United States===California, and United States===Connecticut, argues the EPA's action is illegal and abandons its core responsibility. The dispute is expected to reach the United States===Supreme Court of the United States, which has a more conservative majority than when it ruled on a similar case in 2007, potentially altering the future of climate regulation in the United States.