Several US states challenge Trump administrations climate change findings revocation

A group of 23 states has filed a lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke a key scientific finding related to climate change. The legal challenge, led by California and New York, was filed on Thursday in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The petition seeks to reinstate the “endangerment finding,” which concluded that climate change poses a threat to human health and the environment. This determination formed the basis for government regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting renewable energy.

In February, Trump repealed the “endangerment finding,” citing it as a setback for the fossil fuel industry. The EPA had previously set tailpipe emissions standards for vehicles with model years between 2012 and 2017, but these standards were also revoked in conjunction with the repeal of the “endangerment finding.”

The lawsuit includes nine cities, several counties, the US Virgin Islands, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as co-plaintiffs. The states involved are California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Virginia, among others.

The EPA’s decision to revoke the “endangerment finding” was met with criticism from advocacy groups, who argued that it would harm public health and welfare. A coalition of environmental organizations also filed a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration over the revocation of the finding.

The case will be heard in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Source: Al Jazeera