By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two major environmental groups announced on Tuesday they have sued the Trump administration for secretly convening a group of climate skeptics, which prepared a report that served as the basis for a reversal of U.S. rules on greenhouse gas emissions without public notice.
The Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists filed the lawsuit in a federal district court in Massachusetts, arguing that the so-called Climate Working Group that Energy
Secretary Chris Wright put together, evaded public view, delivered erroneous results and was illegally used to inform the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reverse the scientific finding that served as the foundation for federal climate regulation.
The lawsuit names Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin as defendants. Both were not immediately available for comment.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
The preparation and use of the report has raised concern that the United States is rejecting the mainstream consensus about the causes and impacts of climate change at a time that more severe storms and record-breaking temperatures cause trillions of dollars in damage around the country. Downplaying the impacts of climate change and eliminating U.S. climate data collection and reports also takes away the urgency for the U.S. to shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy.
KEY CONTEXT
Through the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Congress requires public disclosure and public records in the establishment and operation of any federal advisory committee.
KEY QUOTE
“Decades of rigorous scientific analysis shows burning fossil fuels is unequivocally contributing to deadly heat waves, accelerating sea level rise, worsening wildfires and floods, increased heavy rainfall, and more intense and damaging storms across the country. We should all relentlessly question who stands to gain from efforts to upend this unassailable and peer-reviewed scientific truth,” said Gretchen Goldman, president of UCS.
(Reporting by Valerie VolcoviciEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
