PA Environment Digest Blog: Gov. Shapiro Joins Other States In Lawsuit Against EPA Over Repeal Of 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding

On March 19, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced he joined other states in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s dangerous assault on environmental protection measures that keep pollution out of the air Pennsylvania families breathe.

The lawsuit, led by Massachusetts and California and joined by Governor Shapiro, 21 other states, and several cities and counties, challenges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s repeal of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which found that six greenhouse gases in the atmosphere — carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride — threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.

The EPA’s repeal on February 12th flies in the face of both science and the law. As a result of the Trump Administration’s actions, Pennsylvanians face growing threats from increased air pollution and its associated health risks.

“Pollution puts people's health at risk, makes severe weather worse, threatens our farmers’ crops, and makes health care more expensive. By trying to roll back protections that keep pollution out of the air we breathe, the Trump Administration is once again throwing science out the window and putting Pennsylvanians’ lives at risk – so I’m taking them to court to put a stop to it,” said Governor Shapiro. “I will continue to stand up against this Administration’s harmful actions and protect the health and safety of all 13 million Pennsylvanians.”

For more than a decade, greenhouse gases have been considered air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act and by repealing this rule, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and the Trump Administration have unlawfully discarded years of precedent. Governor Shapiro’s legal action seeks to reverse the EPA’s repeal and continues his work to combat federal attempts to strip long-standing protections from Pennsylvanians.

Before the endangerment finding rule was repealed, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Pennsylvania Department of Health sent a letter to the EPA in September 2025, outlining their opposition to the repeal and detailing a lack of legal standing for such action.

In January 2025, Governor Shapiro unveiled his Lightning Energy Plan which includes strategic initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, lower utility bills, and create jobs.

In his Plan, the Governor introduced PRESS, the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard, to combat climate change and enhance environmental protections by reducing air pollution and increasing investment in clean, renewable energy sources.

The Shapiro Administration secured over $76 million in federal funding in September 2024 to address the plugging of orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells to reduce methane emissions that contribute to climate change.

In July 2024, Governor Shapiro announced his Administration secured nearly $400 million for the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) project to fund efforts helping Pennsylvania companies lower climate emissions while creating good-paying jobs and supporting Pennsylvania’s economy.

Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has been committed to supporting a healthy environment for every Pennsylvanian.

This lawsuit is led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Click Here for the Governor's announcement.

NewsClip:

-- AP: 24 States [Including PA], 10 Cities Sue EPA Over Repeal Of Greenhouse Gas ‘Endangerment’ Finding Central To Climate Fight

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: What EPA Repeal Of Climate ‘Endangerment’ Finding Means For Chesapeake Bay

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 14 to 20 - Conventional Well Owners Failed To Comply With Orders To Plug Wells, Restore Drilling Sites; Stop Gas From Bubbling Out Of The Ground [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 21 [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For 5-Mile Long Expand Operating LLC Water Pipeline To Support Shale Gas Development In Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued Chapter 105 Permit For Homer City Generation LP A.I. Data Center Campus Natural Gas Power Plant Site In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 22 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In February; 54 In 2026 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 21 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On A Chapter 105 Permit For The Limerick 67 MW PECO Energy Transmission Line Crossing The Schuylkill River In Chester, Montgomery Counties [PaEN]