Healthcare professionals, scientists and children challenge epa’s reversal of key climate regulation in federal court

The Environmental Protection Agency faces significant legal challenges after two lawsuits were filed Wednesday in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, marking the start of what promises to be a contentious court battle over the agency’s recent policy reversals on climate action.

The lawsuits target both the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin, challenging the agency’s decision to reverse a crucial 2009 “endangerment finding” that has served as the legal foundation for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for over a decade. The plaintiffs include an unlikely but powerful coalition of healthcare professionals, scientists, and children—groups that represent both scientific expertise and the populations most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

According to the plaintiffs, the EPA’s reversal is “reckless, illogical and ignores the vast majority of public comments” submitted during the regulatory review process. These legal challenges were widely anticipated by environmental law experts, who viewed the 2009 endangerment finding as a cornerstone of federal climate policy that would inevitably face court scrutiny if altered.

The 2009 ruling established that greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health and welfare, providing the legal basis for numerous federal regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions across various sectors. The outcome of these lawsuits could have far-reaching implications for America’s climate policies and the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions going forward, potentially affecting everything from vehicle fuel efficiency standards to power plant emissions limits.