Washington DC - A coalition of environmental and health groups filed suit Wednesday against the Trump administration's repeal of a key scientific finding that underpinned federal climate regulations.

The action taken in a Washington appeals court argues that Republican President Donald Trump's move – which eliminated greenhouse gas standards on automobiles and placed a host of additional rules in jeopardy – was illegal.

Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday rejected the accusation, insisting in a statement to AFP that it had "carefully considered and reevaluated the legal foundation" of the finding.

The federal body said it concluded it did not have statutory authority to set automobile emissions standards "for the purpose of addressing global climate change concerns."

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"Unlike our predecessors, the Trump EPA is committed to following the law exactly as it is written and as Congress intended – not as others might wish it to be," the agency said in the statement.

The 2009 "endangerment finding," which said greenhouse gases harm public health, was core to years of federal climate policy.

Its rollback was broadly condemned by environmental groups and many Democrats, and legal action was expected.

According to the coalition, the Trump administration's justifications for the repeal do not hold water and have already been litigated.

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the endangerment finding multiple times – most recently in 2022, when the court's composition was much the same as today. It's likely the issue will eventually land there once again.

The case was brought by a broad group of organizations, including the American Lung Association, the Clean Air Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity.