Groups Sue to Protect State Authority to Regulate Tailpipe Pollution

WASHINGTON – A coalition of environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a federal lawsuit today to stop the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the authority of states to set vehicle pollution standards. The case was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. California and 22 other states filed a similar case earlier this month, and the court is likely to consider them together.

The following is a statement from David Doniger, senior attorney in the Climate & Clean Energy Program at NRDC:

“The authority of California and other states to set clean car standards was clearly established by Congress and has been affirmed by the courts. The Trump administration’s attempt to revoke it has no legal basis.

“We will keep fighting to ensure that state leaders can protect their citizens from dirty air and the climate crisis.”

For more information on why the Trump administration’s attack on state authority will fail in court, see this blog from Doniger.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.

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