California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Air Resources Board, joined by officials from 25 states, counties, and cities, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to rescind greenhouse gas emissions standards for power plants.
The EPA rescission repealed three main provisions of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards: emission guidelines for existing coal-, oil-, and gas-fired power plants; requirements for coal-fired plants undergoing large modifications; and carbon capture and storage-based requirements for new natural gas combustion turbines, the agency said.
The coal, oil, and gas-fired power sector accounts for about a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the lawsuit. The rollback puts communities at risk, particularly those already burdened by pollution, Bonta said. Last year, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County killed at least 30 people, destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures, and damaged over 37,000 acres, the state said.
"Rolling back emission standards for power plants is an affront to the American people," Bonta said. "President Trump's EPA continues to fail at protecting our environment."
The coalition seeks to vacate the EPA's rescission and restore the emissions standards.