Climate activists sue President Donald Trump over EPA endangerment finding

Climate activist groups sued President Donald Trump’s administration Wednesday in an effort to stop officials from undermining environmental regulations.

The lawsuit targets the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to revoke an Obama-era “danger finding” that serves as the basis for sweeping climate regulations. The finding, which the administration announced plans to repeal last week, asserts that pollution and climate change harm the American people. The lawsuit names the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin, as plaintiffs.

“EPA’s repeal of endangerment findings and protective measures to limit vehicle emissions marks a complete abandonment of the agency’s mission to protect human health and its legal obligation under the Clean Air Act,” said Gretchen Goldman, president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists, one of the groups behind the lawsuit.

“This shameful and dangerous action by the Trump Administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin is rooted in lies, not facts, and is completely at odds with the public interest and the best available science,” Goldman added.

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Climate groups have filed a lawsuit against the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Nearly 20 groups signed on to the lawsuit, including the American Public Health Association, the American Lung Association, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and others.

The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The 2009 “danger statement” identified six greenhouse gases that the Obama administration said pose “a threat to public health and welfare.” This finding of harm has been used to justify EPA climate regulations, such as increasing fuel economy standards and limiting power plant emissions.

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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks alongside President Donald Trump at a White House event. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Zeldin hailed the move as a reduction in government red tape in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week.

“This constitutes the largest act of deregulation in American history,” Zeldin said.

Trump hosted a White House event last week with Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. There, they announced a new War Department initiative to purchase electricity from coal-fired power plants.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, left, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. (Costas Baltas/Getty Images)

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The Washington Coal Club also named Trump the “Undisputed Coal Champion” at the event.

Trump has consistently criticized claims about global warming and climate regulations throughout his two terms in office, including withdrawing from the Paris climate accord when he first took office in 2017.