Environmental groups sue Trump administration over secretive climate science report

A coalition of environmental organizations sued the Trump administration Tuesday, alleging it relied on a secret panel of climate skeptics to justify weakening federal climate protections.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

In short:

• The Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists filed suit challenging a U.S. Department of Energy report that questioned the severity of climate change and its economic impacts.
• The lawsuit alleges that Energy Secretary Christopher Wright assembled a covert working group of five climate skeptics to undermine the scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases.
• The plaintiffs argue the group functioned as a formal advisory committee and should have followed transparency laws, including public disclosure and balanced membership.

Key quote:

“The Climate Working Group worked in secret for months to produce a report for DOE and EPA that would provide justification for their predetermined goal of rescinding the Endangerment Finding.”

— Lawsuit filed by the Environmental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists

Why this matters:

Climate policy in the United States is heavily influenced by the scientific integrity of federal reports. The "endangerment finding," established in 2009, is the legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Undermining it could reshape how the government addresses emissions from vehicles, power plants, and industry. If scientific assessments are guided by undisclosed panels without public scrutiny or peer review, public trust in environmental regulation could erode. Transparency in how science informs policy is especially critical as the nation faces escalating wildfires, heat waves, and flooding — all linked to rising global temperatures.

Read more: US Dept. of Energy secretary assembled climate skeptics to shape report challenging science