New York AG sues to uphold national emissions rules

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 40 states, counties, cities, and state agencies sued on Thursday to stop the federal government from erasing climate change regulations. James wants to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding.

That scientific and legal decision found that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. It was the foundation for the nation’s environmental rules under the federal Clean Air Act, but EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin rescinded it in February. He then eliminated federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for motor vehicles.

James filed the petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit alongside Massachusetts, California, and Connecticut. They asked the court to reinstate the endangerment finding and throw out the emissions repeal. The lawsuit argued that the rollback ignored science, dismissed evidence, and violated the Clean Air Act.

James and the rest of the coalition claimed the feds are reheating legal arguments debunked by U.S. Supreme Court back in 2007. They accused President Donald Trump’s administration of ignoring Americans who need help dealing with climate emergencies like storms, floods, cold snaps, and heat waves.

“The Trump administration has chosen denial, repealing critical protections that are foundational to the federal government’s response to climate change,” James said in a press........

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