{"id":2127,"date":"2026-05-20T20:40:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/20\/young-americans-demand-court-halt-trumps-biggest-rollbacks-of-pollution-protections\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T20:40:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:40:48","slug":"young-americans-demand-court-halt-trumps-biggest-rollbacks-of-pollution-protections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2127","title":{"rendered":"Young Americans demand court halt Trump\u2019s biggest rollbacks of pollution protections"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"cd8c8e56-ce37-4978-a895-83d2ec5093d7\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"cars drive in a city\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/95bc2258ac2ca6b318a5c62b762db860a3e502fe\/0_0_5573_3715\/master\/5573.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.9721873317782\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Heavy traffic fills multiple lanes of a freeway in Los Angeles, California, in February.<\/span> Photograph: Apu Gomes\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"cd8c8e56-ce37-4978-a895-83d2ec5093d7\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Heavy traffic fills multiple lanes of a freeway in Los Angeles, California, in February.<\/span> Photograph: Apu Gomes\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Young Americans demand court halt Trump\u2019s biggest rollbacks of pollution protections<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Suit says administration is impinging on rights to life and liberty by worsening planet-warming and toxic pollution<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Eighteen American youth are demanding that a court immediately halt the Trump administration\u2019s repeal of the scientific finding underpinning virtually all US climate regulations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The plaintiffs sued the Trump administration in February days after officials revoked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/12\/trump-epa-rollback-pollution-regulation-endangerment-finding\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the 2009 endangerment finding<\/a>, which found that greenhouse gas pollution threatens public health and welfare. Filed in the Washington DC circuit court of appeals Venner v EPA alleges that the move infringes upon rights guaranteed by the US constitution, including to religious freedom, life and liberty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cMy faith has taught me to protect and nurture all children, all life, all creation,\u201d said Elena Venner, the 21-year-old named plaintiff in the case. \u201cWith these repeals, the conditions for life are not being protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The rule must be halted urgently, says a motion for a stay filed on Wednesday, and shared with the Guardian, because it is already causing damage: car companies are already changing their business plans to lock in more gas-powered vehicles, it says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The filing also asks the court to immediately halt the repeal of annual motor vehicle greenhouse gas standards, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the day it rolled back the endangerment finding. In the time it could take for their lawsuit to wind through the courts, the filing says, the rescissions may result in an additional gigaton of additional planet-warming C0<sub class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">2<\/sub> pollution \u2013 more than Japan\u2019s total emissions in one year. That figure is based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines\/final-rule-greenhouse-gas-emissions-standards-heavy-duty\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">EPA\u2019s 2024 calculations<\/a> of pollution cuts attributable to the regulations each year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe increased exposure to all of the pollutants that will result from this rule can\u2019t be undone,\u201d said Julia Olson, the founder and chief legal counsel for Our Children\u2019s Trust, the non-profit law firm behind the lawsuit. \u201cThe harm to the petitioners is irreversible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The White House and EPA both declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">More than a dozen environmental groups and public health advocacy organizations also sued the EPA over the February repeals, but the Venner v EPA plaintiffs are the first to call for a stay. They are also the only ones calling for the repeal to be struck down on constitutional grounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">By worsening planet-warming and toxic pollution, the challengers say, the administration is impinging upon their rights to life and liberty. It is also threatening states\u2019 ability to protect the rights they provide to their citizens, something protected under the fifth amendment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In June 2024, for instance, Hawaii committed to decarbonizing its transportation system by 2045 in the settlement for another Our Children\u2019s Trust case, Navahine v Hawaii department of transportation. The case was brought under the state\u2019s constitution, which states: \u201cAll public natural resources are held in trust by the State for the benefit of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHawaii\u2019s ability to decarbonize transportation and move towards EVs, to comply with the settlement agreement [and to] uphold its own constitution are all being harmed by what EPA has just done,\u201d Olson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The repeal is also impeding plaintiffs\u2019 ability to engage in religious customs, in violation of the rights to religious freedom guaranteed by the first amendment and 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the challengers say. One Muslim challenger in California, for instance, says her ability to fast for Ramadan is being threatened by increased risk of dehydration amid extreme heat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Venner, meanwhile, said that by degrading the natural world, the repeal is inhibiting her ability to practice Catholicism, which holds that the environment must be protected. In <em>Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home<\/em>, a 2015 encyclical, Venner noted, \u201cPope Francis said the climate is a common good, and it belongs to everyone, and it\u2019s meant for everyone because it\u2019s a foundational system that helps support all human life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhen I look at what\u2019s being rolled back right now, it\u2019s making that foundation less stable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Elijah Schaffzin, a 17-year-old Memphis native and a challenger in the case, said the repeal will impact his ability to practice Judaism. He suffers from asthma and severe pollen allergies, which force him to take a \u201ccocktail of medications\u201d and avoid going outside at all in springtime. Increased <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2026\/apr\/30\/the-climate-crisis-is-making-our-hay-fever-worse-and-affecting-our-enjoyment-of-nature\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">heat<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8638356\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pollution<\/a> will make his ailments worse, which in turn will make it harder for him to observe his faith, he said, for instance by impeding his ability to go to synagogue on Saturdays. When observing the Sabbath, Jewish law forbids the operation of motor vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIf I want to go to services on Saturdays, I have to walk, and my walk is about 0.7 miles, or 20 to 25 minutes each way [along] a six-lane road that is extremely busy and polluted,\u201d he said. \u201cThat means for stretches that are unshaded on days where the heat index is too high, or when there\u2019s an air quality alert issued, or if the pollen is too intense, I\u2019m unable to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">By repealing the endangerment finding, the Trump administration revealed its allegiance to polluting companies, said Olson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThey\u2019re prioritizing the financial interests of certain industries over the health and safety of children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/democracy-climate-and-justice\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Democracy, climate and justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/climate-crisis\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Climate crisis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/epa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Environmental Protection Agency<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Young%20Americans%20demand%20court%20halt%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20biggest%20rollbacks%20of%20pollution%20protections&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/20\/trump-administration-climate-pollution-lawsuit?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F20%2Ftrump-administration-climate-pollution-lawsuit&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/20\/trump-administration-climate-pollution-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heavy traffic fills multiple lanes of a freeway in Los Angeles, California, in February. Photograph: Apu Gomes\/Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}