This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
Published on August 14, 2019, at 7:18 AM
US States and Cities Sue Trump Over Climate Protections ¶
Twenty-nine US states and cities have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration over its decision to roll back climate change protections.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, claims that the Trump administration's decision to weaken the Clean Power Plan, a rule aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, is unlawful.
The Clean Power Plan, which was introduced in 2015, required power plants to reduce their carbon emissions by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030. However, in June 2019, the Trump administration announced that it would repeal the rule and replace it with a new one that would allow states to set their own emissions standards.
The lawsuit, which was filed by a coalition of states and cities, including California, New York, and Washington, argues that the Trump administration's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan is unlawful because it does not comply with the Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit also claims that the Trump administration's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan will have devastating consequences for the environment and public health, including increased air pollution and climate change.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges to the Trump administration's environmental policies. In June 2019, a federal court blocked the Trump administration's plan to roll back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks.
