Health and environmental groups sue the Trump administration for revoking the scientific basis of US climate rules and vehicle emission standards.
WASHINGTON: A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday. The lawsuit challenges the decision to revoke the scientific finding underpinning US climate regulations.
The legal challenge was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. It also contests the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent repeal of tailpipe rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.
The groups suing include the Center for Biological Diversity and the American Lung Association. Other plaintiffs are the American Public Health Association, Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen and Sierra Club.
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The EPA announced last week it would repeal the 17-year-old endangerment finding. It also ended federal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles from model years 2012 to 2027.
The agency did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. The move represents the administration’s most sweeping climate policy rollback to date.
This action follows a series of regulatory cuts intended to unfetter fossil fuel development. The administration has also taken steps to stymie the rollout of clean energy.
The EPA stated the repeal and end of vehicle standards will save US taxpayers USD 1.3 trillion. The Biden administration had previously said the rules would provide net benefits through lower fuel costs.
In 2024, the EPA said consumers would save an average of USD 6,000 over a vehicle’s lifetime from reduced fuel and maintenance. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a hoax.
His administration withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement. It also killed Biden-era tax credits aimed at accelerating electric car and renewable energy deployment.
The endangerment finding was first adopted by the United States in 2009. It led the EPA to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
Its repeal removes requirements to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions from cars. It may not initially apply to stationary sources like power plants.
The transportation and power sectors each account for around a quarter of US greenhouse gas output. This is according to EPA figures.
