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NYC joins national push to stop EPA rollback of climate science, car emission rules
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 22, 2025
Modified Sep 23, 2025
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Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 22, 2025
Modified Sep 23, 2025
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New York City is joining a coalition of states and local governments opposing a federal effort to unravel landmark climate protections, just as Climate Week kicks off. New York Attorney General Letitia James is co-leading the coalition, alongside attorneys general from California, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In a series of coordinated legal filings, the city is pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to rescind its 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” a foundational rule that allows the agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.
The EPA’s proposal, which the Trump administration previously argued would help lower energy costs and revitalize the auto industry, could disrupt New York’s plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions and phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
On Monday, city officials warned that rolling back these protections would worsen climate threats such as flooding and extreme heat, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities and local economies. James said the proposal ignores decades of scientific consensus and would put communities at greater risk of asthma, heart disease and premature deaths.
The move also contradicts earlier EPA findings that “emissions from motor vehicles and engines contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,” according to New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant.
“Now, over the span of a few months, the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA have sought to manufacture a basis to reject this overwhelming scientific consensus, endangering all Americans and all New Yorkers,” she said in a statement.
The action comes amid Climate Week NYC, which runs from Sept. 21 to 28, and follows years of city investment in climate budgeting and resilience. This year’s event is expected to host a record number of gatherings and feature guests including the California attorney general, foreign government leaders and climate activists like Mark Ruffalo and Jane Fonda.
A spokesperson for the EPA said the agency was accepting public comments on the proposal through Sept. 22 and looks forward to reviewing a range of perspectives. The agency declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
This story has been updated with new information.
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Politics
environment
new york city
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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