Brian Willis: Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. District Court for Montana ruled on Wednesday evening that the Trump Administration’s EPA acted unlawfully when it finalized its anti-science rule by making the rule effective immediately. The court found that former coal lobbyist turned EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler failed to justify his decision to make the controversial rule take effect right after it was published in the Federal Register, instead of after the typical 30 days.
Due to the court’s ruling, the final rule will be ineffective until 30 days after its publication date, which means it will take effect on February 5. This will give the Biden Administration extra time to address the rule before it takes effect.
In response, Zachary Fabish, Senior Attorney at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“Even after the disgraced Trump Administration has left office, it’s still losing court cases and being exposed for its disregard for the law. Andrew Wheeler’s latest strike out is a fitting end to his tenure at the agency. In trying to banish medical science from EPA’s rulemaking, Wheeler highlighted his approach to public health: he never actually cared about it.
“Wheeler only ever seemed to care about helping his former employers in the fossil fuel industry make money, and making sure they avoided accountability to the public. But now it’s time for the Biden Administration to undo that damage, by methodically unwinding Wheeler’s anti-science rulemakings and thoughtfully putting public health at the center of EPA again.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.