In a major legal escalation, a coalition of 24 states and over a dozen cities filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The suit challenges the Trump administration’s February 2026 decision to revoke the 2009 “Endangerment Finding”—the scientific and legal cornerstone that classifies greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. By rescinding this finding, the administration has effectively dismantled the legal basis for nearly all federal climate regulations, including vehicle emission standards and power plant limits.
Led by New York, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, the plaintiffs argue that the repeal ignores overwhelming scientific evidence and violates the EPA’s statutory duty under the Clean Air Act. “When the federal government abandons the law and the science, everyday people suffer the consequences,” stated Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. This legal battle is expected to be the most consequential climate case of the decade, determining whether the federal government has a mandatory obligation to regulate planet-warming pollution.
