Wisconsin Suing EPA for Ending All Actions to Fight Climate Change
Joins 23 states challenging EPA repeal of 'endangerment' finding.
Josh Kaul. Photo courtesy of the State of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has joined a coalition of two dozen states suing over the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to repeal the scientific basis for controlling pollution that’s heating up the planet.
In February, President Donald Trump and the EPA announced the end of the agency’s endangerment finding, which is the key underpinning for regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2009 finding concluded that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health and welfare, triggering regulation under the Clean Air Act.
On Thursday, Kaul said the attempt to rescind the finding is unlawful.
“Pretending that climate change is a ‘hoax’ won’t make it go away,” Kaul said in a statement. “The federal government should acknowledge what’s actually happening and make decisions based on science.”
A 2007 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court found the EPA has authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Wisconsin residents could see billions of dollars in fuel costs and health harms through 2055 under the repeal, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. The EPA said it would save more than $1.3 trillion from reduced costs for new or electric vehicles through 2055. But a regulatory analysis found fuel, repair, maintenance and other costs could exceed any projected savings.
The EPA also stripped standards on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, which had been tightened under the Biden administration. Transportation accounts for the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the nation.
Almost 40 cities, counties and states joined the challenge on Thursday. Green and public health groups had previously sued over the repeal.
Wisconsin joins states suing EPA for abandoning power to fight climate change was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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