What you need to know:
- California sues EPA over Endangerment Finding repeal to protect public health
- Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta accuse Trump of favoring Big Oil over climate action
- GHG emissions down 21%; carbon-free energy now two-thirds of California's grid
- Clean Air Act defense aims to fight climate change and protect communities.
Just a few weeks after the EPA rolled back the Endangerment Finding—a cornerstone policy that has enabled limits on major greenhouse gas emissions since 2009—California is pushing back.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit challenging the repeal, signaling a renewed legal fight over federal emissions authority.
Newsom didn't mince words.
"This is what corruption looks like," Newsom announced. "Donald Trump is breaking the laws that protect Americans from climate pollution—all to enrich his Big Oil and his wealthy polluting allies. Workers, families, and communities would pay the price, left choking on dirty air. No one is above the law in this country. Not even the president. We'll fight this lawlessness in court."
California's lawsuit leans on the Clean Air Act (CCA), stating that the EPA "has an affirmative duty to protect public health and welfare from air pollutants, including greenhouse gases—a responsibility the Supreme Court affirmed in 2007. By repealing the Endangerment Finding, the Trump administration is not exercising its scientific judgment. It is breaking the law."
[Related: DOJ launches another lawsuit against California]
Along with scrapping the Endangerment Finding, the EPA aims to eliminate all federal greenhouse gas standards covering vehicles and engines from model years 2012 through 2027 and beyond, while also eliminating off-cycle credits.
"With the unlawful rescission of the Endangerment Finding, President Trump and his EPA have abandoned their most important mission: protecting the health and welfare of the American people," added Bonta. "The science doesn't lie: Climate change and GHG emissions are harming public health and causing devastating and ever-worsening disasters. Our communities have felt the impact of destructive wildfires, watched families run from burning homes, inhaling toxic fumes, and we've seen entire communities wash away in severe floods. The President can't keep his head in the sand—climate change is real and decades of settled science warned us this was coming."
In the official press release, officials point out the state's accomplishments in cutting emissions while growing its economy—greenhouse gases are down 21% since 2000 as GDP has surged 81%, making it the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Furthermore, they argue that clean energy momentum is accelerating. About two-thirds of California's power now comes from carbon-free sources, with daily periods of 100% clean electricity becoming routine. Under Newsom, battery storage has expanded dramatically to nearly 17,000 MW, with tens of thousands of megawatts added to the grid—putting the state roughly one-third of the way toward its 2045 100% clean power target.
[Related: Biden's $5B Clean School Bus Program faces major EPA reset]
"Let me be clear: This unlawful rescission is not about cutting 'red tape,'" Bonta added. "The president is choosing Big Oil profits over our health, and betting that the American people won't notice the cost until the bill comes due at the expense of our communities. We will not stand idly by while the federal government abdicates its responsibility to protect the public and follow the law. California will vigorously defend the Endangerment Finding in court and continue to fight to protect our communities, our health, and our natural resources."
