Arizona joins lawsuit to protect key federal vehicle pollution finding

PHOENIX — Arizona recently joined a coalition challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to rescind a 2009 greenhouse gas finding that shapes public policy around greenhouse gases on the basis that they threaten public health and welfare.

Thanks to that finding, six gases are regulated under the Clean Air Act: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

By removing those requirements, the Trump administration’s new rule effectively eliminates federal greenhouse‑gas limits for cars and trucks.

The rule change is a source of contention for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, which is why she’s involving the state in efforts to protect it.

“The science behind the 2009 Endangerment Finding is real and grounded in rigorous research,” Mayes said in a Thursday press release. “It is abundantly clear that greenhouse gas pollution has fueled climate change in our state and across the entire planet.”

How did Trump administration cut back on environmental protections?

She and other leaders across the nation are fighting a recent decision by Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Last month, Zeldin dismissed the finding as the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions.

“The Endangerment Finding is now eliminated,” Zeldin said in a Feb. 16 announcement. “As EPA administrator, I am proud to deliver the single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history on behalf of American taxpayers and consumers.”

This was unlawful, according to Mayes, who sees Zeldin’s decision to abandon the environmental finding as a direct threat to hundreds of millions of Americans.

“On the day we file this lawsuit, much of Arizona is under an extreme heat warning due to an unprecedented early heatwave that has spiked temperatures over 20 degrees above normal,” Mayes said. “The decision by the Trump administration to rescind the Endangerment Finding will only accelerate climate change.”

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