St. Louis, Missouri — Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, a local nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the environment and public health, is suing the Trump administration over its repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding and the related greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and trucks. By bringing this case, the Law Center is joining organizations across the country to ensure Missouri communities have a voice in defending climate protections grounded in science.

Last week, the administration formally rescinded the Endangerment Finding, which determined that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, endanger both public health and public welfare. The action also eliminated all greenhouse gas emission limits for vehicles manufactured in 2012 or later. 

For nearly two decades, the Endangerment Finding has served as the legal and scientific foundation for federal policies limiting dangerous climate pollution. It was grounded in extensive research from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Research Council, and hundreds of peer reviewed studies. The repeal rejects this body of scientific evidence and instead asserts that vehicle emissions have “no material impact on global climate change.” 

In Missouri and across the Midwest, communities are already experiencing stronger storms, repeated flooding of rivers and levees, longer and more extreme heat, and increasing health risks for outdoor workers, children, seniors, and people with underlying health conditions. “From Missouri to communities across the nation, people are already experiencing the impacts of climate change,” said Natalie Johnson, Executive Director of Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. “This lawsuit seeks to ensure the EPA fulfills its duty to protect public health and welfare for the people it is meant to serve, based on science.” 

Great Rivers Environmental Law Center is filing the lawsuit on behalf of Metropolitan Congregations United for St. Louis, with additional organizations in active conversation as part of the case. As a nonprofit law firm, the Law Center represents communities and organizations who rely on federal protections to safeguard public health, environmental quality, and future generations. 

By repealing both the vehicle emission standards and the scientific foundation underlying them, the EPA has abandoned its statutory obligation to protect public health and welfare. This lawsuit seeks to hold the agency accountable and restore protections that communities across Missouri and the nation depend on.