TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Monday joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and seven counties and cities in formally opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to rescind its 2009 Endangerment Finding, which determined that greenhouse gas emissions, including those from motor vehicles, drive climate change and endanger public health.
The coalition filed a 225-page comment letter with the EPA, arguing that rolling back the Endangerment Finding would violate settled law, Supreme Court precedent, and scientific consensus. The 2009 finding stemmed from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, which confirmed EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
“For over a decade, the EPA has acknowledged that greenhouse gases are irreparably warming our climate and harm our communities,” Platkin said. “However, the Trump Administration is not only attempting to eliminate the EPA’s landmark endangerment finding but eliminate vehicle emissions standards that have reduced pollution and greenhouse gases in states like New Jersey. Our coalition is making formal our vehement opposition to this reckless move that serves no one except polluters and corporate executives seeking to profit at the expense of our residents’ health. We will fight this dangerous action and protect our communities.”
The coalition letter points to recent findings by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which reaffirmed the accuracy of EPA’s 2009 determination and warned that human-caused emissions continue to threaten health and welfare. The attorneys general argue that rescinding the finding would ignore decades of research and threaten the lives of millions, particularly vulnerable populations.
In a separate letter, Platkin and other attorneys general opposed the EPA’s related plan to repeal all existing greenhouse gas emissions standards for motor vehicles. They warned such a move would undo decades of progress, cost consumers billions, and disrupt the auto industry’s shift toward cleaner technologies.
The comment letters are the latest in a series of actions taken by Platkin and allied attorneys general. In recent weeks, the group also filed objections to a Department of Energy Climate Working Group report that underpins EPA’s proposal, arguing the report was procedurally flawed and riddled with inaccuracies.
Joining Platkin in the comment letters were attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and 19 other states, along with the cities of Chicago, New York, and Oakland; the City and County of Denver; and counties in California and Washington state.
