AG Brown challenges illegal axing of greenhouse gas pollution Endangerment Finding

# Legal Challenge Filed Against EPA's Greenhouse Gas Rollback

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined a coalition of 24 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 12 cities and counties in a legal challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to rescind its 2009 Endangerment Finding on greenhouse gas emissions. The finding had determined that motor vehicle emissions contribute to air pollution that drives climate change and endangers public health.

The EPA's rescission eliminates existing and future federal greenhouse gas standards for vehicles, which the coalition argues violates the Clean Air Act and ignores scientific evidence. The 2009 finding stemmed from the landmark 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which confirmed the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

Brown contended the federal government must acknowledge greenhouse gases' role in driving climate change and protect residents from pollution. The state cites increased air pollution, flooding, storm surges, reduced snowpack, and intensified wildfires as consequences affecting Washington residents, with vulnerable populations including the elderly, children, and those with chronic health conditions facing the greatest risks.