California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken the fight to Donald Trump, announcing that California will sue him over anti-climate actions he believes are illegal. Newsom alleges that Trump’s agenda is to enrich his friends who have investments in Big Oil.
The Trump action that is at the center of this development is the repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 Endangerment Finding. The finding, which was acknowledged by federal authorities, detailed how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change.
It also states that these emissions are a public health risk.
Donald Trump wants to make pollution great again.
He is breaking laws meant to protect Americans from climate pollution — all to enrich Big Oil and his rich friends.
California will fight this lawlessness in court. pic.twitter.com/G2QpGFs1nJ
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) March 19, 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez, stated that Trump’s repeal of the finding has rolled back one of the most important climate protections in the country.
Newsom took a shot at Trump, saying that the president and his administration are ignoring sound science in favor of enriching Big Oil. He said, “They want to make pollution great again. That is what this is about. Science didn’t change. Just the administration changed.”
However, California is not alone in this fight. A group of twenty-nine states, with New York and California leading the charge, has decided to pursue legal action to challenge the repeal of the finding. The legal petition was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James released a statement on the proceedings, saying, “Instead of helping Americans face our new reality, the Trump administration has chosen denial, repealing the critical protections that are foundational to the federal government’s response to climate change.”
Trump administration sued over reversal of key climate finding https://t.co/HU1ng5ENFi
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 18, 2026
Trump’s administration has largely pursued an anti-climate agenda, attempting multiple times to dismantle pro-climate infrastructure on a global scale. From attempting to curb shipping carbon taxes to opposing a global ban on virgin plastic, Trump and his administration have called a lot of such targets impractical, even completely derailing conversations around the matter when they were in their final stages.
Gavin Newsom is currently one of the front-runners for the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. There is no indication of who the Republican Party will nominate, given that this is Trump’s second term, which makes him ineligible for a third term. There have been whispers that the Republican Party will pass a resolution that would allow Trump to run for a third time. However, this would also mean any Democratic candidate barred for the same reasons would also become eligible for another run.
