"24 States Sue the E.P.A. for Renouncing Its Power to Fight Climate Change"

"The suit accuses the agency of illegally repealing the endangerment finding, the scientific assessment that required it to regulate greenhouse gases."

"A coalition of 24 states, along with a dozen cities and counties, sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its decision to relinquish the government’s legal authority to fight climate change.

The lawsuit was filed in the ​U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. It is expected to be consolidated with a case that environmental groups filed in February, making for one of the largest legal challenges to date against the Trump administration’s unraveling of federal climate policy.

The states are arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency acted illegally when it rescinded a 2009 scientific conclusion that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. That determination, known as the endangerment finding, formed the legal basis for the E.P.A. to regulate emissions from automobile tailpipes, power plant smokestacks, oil and gas wells, and other sources."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times March 19, 2026.

SEE ALSO:

"US States Sue Trump Over His Move To Scrap Greenhouse Gases Ruling" (MSN)

"Two Dozen States, 10 Cities Sue EPA Over Repeal Of ‘Endangerment’ Finding Central To Climate Fight" (AP)

Source: NYTimes, 03/20/2026