Thirty-six state, city and county governments led by New York and California sued on March 18 to overturn the Trump administration's decision to rescind the EPA's scientific "endangerment finding," which underpins U.S. climate regulations. Filed in the D.C. Circuit, the complaint also challenges the EPA's February rollback of vehicle tailpipe greenhouse gas limits. The suit follows an earlier challenge by environmental groups and names additional plaintiffs including Michigan, Connecticut, Virginia and several major U.S. cities.
36 States, Cities Sue to Block Trump Move to Revoke EPA Climate Finding and Roll Back Tailpipe Rules
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement on the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the legal basis for federal climate regulations, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
March 18 — Thirty-six state, city and county governments, led by New York and California, sued the Trump administration on Wednesday seeking to overturn its decision to rescind the scientific finding that provides the legal foundation for U.S. climate regulations.
What the Lawsuit Challenges
The complaint, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, contests the Environmental Protection Agency's February action to repeal federal tailpipe rules that limited greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. Plaintiffs say the administration's move to revoke the EPA's longstanding "endangerment finding" — the agency's scientific determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare — would undermine decades of climate protections and exceed statutory authority.
Who Is Involved
The case is led by New York and California and brings together a coalition of 36 state, municipal and county governments. Additional state plaintiffs named in the complaint include Michigan, Connecticut and Virginia. City plaintiffs include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.
The suit follows an earlier legal challenge filed by a coalition of environmental groups and seeks to block the rollbacks while the courts determine whether the EPA lawfully revoked the scientific basis for climate regulation.
Why It Matters: The challenge strikes at the core legal finding underpinning federal greenhouse gas regulation and could have wide implications for national and state-level efforts to limit emissions from vehicles and other sources.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul)
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