States are taking the Trump administration to court over the EPA, power plant emissions and greenhouse gas rules, escalating a broader fight over the future of federal climate regulation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of more than 20 states and several local governments that filed a petition Oct. 1 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s repeal of major emissions requirements for fossil fuel-fired power plants.
The challenge centers on the EPA’s September decision to repeal most of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards. Those rules, adopted under President Joe Biden, established greenhouse gas requirements for certain new and existing coal and natural gas power plants.
The plaintiffs argue that the EPA acted unlawfully in removing the standards and failed to adequately account for the consequences of increased pollution. They are asking the federal appeals court to overturn the agency’s action and restore the protections.
The litigation is part of a larger confrontation between Democratic-led states and the Trump administration over environmental rules adopted under previous presidents. The coalition has also signaled a separate legal challenge concerning the EPA’s obligations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing natural gas power plants.
The EPA has defended its approach as a way to reduce regulatory costs and support reliable energy supplies. The agency says its September repeal is expected to produce about $310 billion in savings and has proposed going further by rescinding remaining greenhouse gas standards for the power sector.
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