New Mexico AG Torrez Joins 24-State Lawsuit Challenging EPA Greenhouse Gas Rollback

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined a 24-state coalition in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 20 over its decision to eliminate the foundational 2009 "Endangerment Finding," the agency's own determination that greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicles drives climate change and endangers public health and welfare.

Albuquerque city attorneys also signed onto the suit, giving New Mexico a dual presence in the coalition. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is leading the multistate legal effort in court, joined by attorneys general from California, New York, Connecticut, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the governor of Pennsylvania.

The coalition argues the EPA's rescission would eliminate not just existing federal motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards but all future ones as well, and that the move "violates the EPA's legal obligations, fundamental principles of administrative law, and the agency's mission to protect public health and welfare," according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.

"Climate change is real, and it's already affecting our residents and our economy," Campbell said. "When the federal government abandons the law and the science, everyday people suffer the consequences. As a mom, I want my boys — and every child in our state — to grow up breathing clean air and playing safely outdoors."

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the rollback in a statement, calling the Endangerment Finding "the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans." Zeldin declared the finding "now eliminated," adding that the agency is "returning commonsense to policy, delivering consumer choice to Americans and advancing the American Dream."

The lawsuit is not the coalition's first challenge to the EPA's position. In fall 2025, the same coalition submitted two comment letters urging the agency to abandon the proposal, warning that it would violate settled law, disregard Supreme Court precedent and scientific consensus, and threaten public health, natural resources, and key economic sectors. Those warnings went unheeded.

For San Juan County, the stakes carry a particular local dimension. The smokestacks at the San Juan Generating Station, a landmark visible for miles across the Four Corners region, were demolished in August 2024 as part of the broader shift away from coal-fired power generation that federal vehicle emissions standards helped accelerate. Whether federal greenhouse gas rules survive this legal challenge will shape what comes next for the region's energy and air quality landscape.