States sue EPA rollback
A coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia has filed suit challenging the Trump administration's rollback of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding—escalating a major legal fight over federal climate authority. The move lands as a UN report finds Earth is retaining more heat than ever, sharpening the political and scientific stakes around U.S. climate regulation. (bluevirginia.us) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
A multijurisdictional petition was filed for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on March 19, 2026, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James alongside Massachusetts AG Andrea Joy Campbell, California AG Rob Bonta and Connecticut’s AG. (ag.ny.gov) (ag.ny.gov) The petition asks the court to vacate EPA’s rescission and to reinstate the 2009 Endangerment Finding, arguing the agency’s rule conflicts with the Clean Air Act and rehashes legal positions already addressed by the Supreme Court in 2007. (ag.ny.gov) (ag.ny.gov) EPA finalized its rescission on Feb. 12, 2026 (published Feb. 18, 2026) and simultaneously repealed federal greenhouse‑gas standards for light-, medium‑ and heavy‑duty vehicles, with the agency asserting the package will save Americans more than $1.3 trillion and remove future reporting and control obligations for vehicle manufacturers. (epa.gov) (epa.gov) A separate legal challenge by public‑health and environmental groups was filed in the D.C. Circuit on Feb. 18, 2026, with plaintiffs including the American Public Health Association, American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council. (sierraclub.org) (sierraclub.org) The World Meteorological Organization’s 2025 State of the Global Climate report found Earth’s energy imbalance hit a new high in 2025, ocean heat content reached a record, and last year averaged about 1.43°C above the 1850–1900 baseline — with the 11 hottest years on record occurring between 2015 and 2025. (un.org) (un.org) State attorneys general framed their filings around concrete harms to people and economies, with Massachusetts AG Campbell warning rescission removes decades of motor‑vehicle emissions gains and Maryland AG Anthony Brown saying the rule strips protections that shield Marylanders from rising floods, extreme heat and toxic air. (mass.gov) (mass.gov)
