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Earthjustice

Earthjustice

Environmental Law Organization

Appears in 3 stories

Stories

Trump administration dismantles federal climate regulation framework

Rule Changes

Nonprofit environmental law organization that has pledged to challenge the endangerment finding repeal in court. - Lead plaintiff in D.C. Circuit lawsuit filed Feb 18

For seventeen years, the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 endangerment finding—the determination that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases threaten public health—served as the legal foundation for virtually all federal climate regulation. On February 13, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially revoked it, eliminating the basis for vehicle emissions standards, power plant rules, and regulations on oil and gas facilities in what the administration called 'the largest deregulatory action in American history.'

Updated Feb 21

Who decides if a pipeline gets built?

Rule Changes

Environmental law organization that previously litigated Trump's first Section 401 rule through the 9th Circuit and Supreme Court. - Opposing proposed rule, precedent of challenging similar rules in court

For 50 years, states have held veto power over pipelines, dams, and power plants that cross their waterways. Now EPA wants to take it back. The agency proposed a rule on January 14, 2026, that would prevent states and tribes from blocking federally permitted energy projects based on anything beyond direct water pollution—eliminating the broader environmental reviews that have stopped projects like the Constitution Pipeline in New York.

Updated Jan 17

Trump’s Gulf lease sale kicks off 30-auction offshore drilling spree

Rule Changes

Earthjustice uses litigation to enforce environmental laws and challenge fossil-fuel projects. - Leading lawsuit to block Trump’s first Gulf lease auction

Donald Trump's second-term energy agenda has moved from a single Gulf auction to a full-scale offshore transformation. The December 10 Gulf lease sale—81.2 million acres at a 12.5% royalty rate, generating $279.4 million—was just the opening move. By year's end, the administration had proposed a sweeping 2026-2031 leasing plan covering 1.27 billion acres off California, Florida and Alaska, scheduled a second Gulf sale for March 11, 2026, and simultaneously halted all five major East Coast offshore wind projects, claiming national security risks. A major Shell-INEOS oil discovery south of New Orleans in early January underscored the industry bet on deepwater Gulf prospects.

Updated Jan 8