Michigan AG Challenges EPA's Rescission of Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding

AG: Michigan News

Filed March 19th, 2026

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, joined by 24 states, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 12 cities/counties, is challenging the EPA's rescission of its 2009 Endangerment Finding. This finding determined that greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicles endangers public health and welfare, and its rescission would repeal federal vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, leading a coalition of 24 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 12 cities and counties, has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to rescind its 2009 Endangerment Finding. This finding, established after the Supreme Court's ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, determined that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles contribute to air pollution that harms public health and the environment, forming the basis for federal vehicle emission standards. The coalition argues that the EPA's rescission is unlawful, disregards scientific evidence, and violates administrative law principles.

The practical implication of this challenge is that the EPA's rescission of the Endangerment Finding and the subsequent repeal of federal motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards are being contested. This action aims to preserve existing and future federal standards designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, which are crucial for protecting public health, welfare, and the environment. Regulated entities, particularly automotive manufacturers, should be aware that the regulatory landscape concerning vehicle emissions remains subject to legal challenge, and the status of these standards is not yet finalized. The lawsuit seeks to compel the EPA to uphold its legal obligations and continue regulating greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

What to do next

Monitor legal developments in the challenge to the EPA's rescission of the Endangerment Finding.
Review current and future vehicle emission standards for potential impact if the EPA's rescission is upheld or overturned.

Source document (simplified)

AG Nessel Challenges Unlawful Rescission of EPA’s Landmark 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding

March 19, 2026

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined a coalition of 24 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 12 cities and counties to challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s unlawful attempt to rescind its 2009 Endangerment Finding (PDF) – the agency’s seminal determination that greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicles drives climate change and endangers public health and welfare. Attorney General Nessel released a video accompanying this announcement.

“The EPA’s unlawful and ill-conceived rescission of the greenhouse gas Endangerment Finding poses an immediate danger to Michigan’s environment and economy,” said Attorney General Nessel. “The wildfire smoke polluting our air and the harm being done to our state’s winter tourism industry and farmers who rely on stable seasons to make a living are just some of the ways we’re already seeing climate change impact our daily lives. While the EPA has chosen to abandon its legal responsibility to protect the public from the dangers posed by greenhouse gases from motor vehicles, I refuse to do the same. I am challenging this rescission to make sure the agency does its job to protect the health and well-being of Michiganders and all Americans.”

The 2009 Endangerment Finding was the direct result of the landmark 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA (PDF), which confirmed that the Clean Air Act authorizes EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that endanger public health and welfare. Based on years of rigorous scientific analysis and review, in 2009 EPA determined that emissions from motor vehicles contribute to air pollution that harms public health and the environment. EPA then set federal standards to limit those emissions, which have led to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

Now, almost two decades later, EPA has rushed a rulemaking process to rescind the Endangerment Finding and repeal all motor vehicles greenhouse gas standards, blatantly disregarding both law and science. EPA’s rescission is based on flawed interpretations of the law — previously rejected by the Supreme Court — that the agency lacks authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The rescission also ignores decades of peer-reviewed scientific evidence confirming the reality and severity of climate change. By eliminating all existing and future federal vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards, this rule violates EPA’s legal obligations, fundamental principles of administrative law, and its mission to protect public health and welfare.

Today’s lawsuit is the latest action taken by Attorney General Nessel and the coalition in their ongoing effort to fight back against EPA’s unlawful rescission of the 2009 Endangerment Finding. In the fall of 2025, 23 attorneys general and seven counties and cities submitted two comment letters urging EPA to abandon the proposal, arguing that it would violate settled law, clear Supreme Court precedent, and scientific consensus, endanger all Americans—particularly communities already disproportionately burdened by environmental harms—and cause unprecedented disruption to the regulatory landscape with catastrophic consequences for residents, industries, natural resources, and public investments.

Attorney General Nessel is joined in filing this challenge by the attorneys general of: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. In addition, this challenge is joined by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro; City of Boston, Massachusetts; City of Chicago, Illinois; City of Cleveland, Ohio; City of Columbus, Ohio; City and County of Denver, Colorado; City of Los Angeles, California; City of New York, New York; City and County of San Francisco, California; County of Santa Clara, California; and Harris County, Texas.

MI Newswire Attorney General Press Release Climate Change Environment Media Contact:

Danny Wimmer

Press Secretary

agpress@michigan.gov

### Wyandotte Man Sentenced 2-20 Years for Embezzling More Than $166,000 From Former Employer

### Former Harper Woods Nursing Assistant Charged with Theft from Elderly Resident

### Farwell Man Charged with Embezzling over $400,000 from 82-Year-Old

### One Sentenced for Conducting Criminal Enterprise in 2022 Signature Collection Election Fraud Scheme

### Jackson Man Sentenced for Role in Organization Responsible for Vehicle Thefts

### Attorney General Nessel Joins Coalition Challenging Trump Administration’s Attack on States’ Fair Housing Laws

### Former Huron County Funeral Home Director Pleads to $1 Million Embezzlement Scheme

### AG Nessel on Newly Announced Google Data Center Proposal: Google Commits to Contested Case at MPSC