Statement on Trump’s Executive Order to Undermine State-Level Climate Laws

WASHINGTON — On April 8, President Trump signed an executive order targeting state climate policies, directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to challenge and stop their enforcement. States mentioned in the order include California, New York, and Vermont. The order has the potential to affect states and localities across the nation as they address environmental justice and climate change, including Colorado, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. The order aims to nullify state policies on carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and climate-related lawsuits. The move is the latest in the Administration’s broader effort to curb state-level climate actions and give out concessions to the fossil fuel and mining industries.

Statement from Aaron Mintzes, Senior Policy Counsel at Earthworks:

“This latest Executive Order represents a dangerous and reckless step backward in our fight against letting polluters get away with poisoning communities and accelerating climate disasters. Trying to undermine  local protections directly threatens residents devastated from climate catastrophe. It turns federalism on its head;  it is unenforceable, arbitrary, and potentially unlawful. 

“This move is not just an attack on local governance—it is an abdication of responsibility for the long-term environmental, health, and economic consequences of extraction. At a moment when climate disasters are accelerating at an alarming rate, prioritizing short-term energy production over sustainable solutions doesn’t just risk deepening the climate crisis; it endangers the health, safety, and future of entire generations. It shows yet again that President Trump is choosing billionaires’ profits over communities’ wellbeing. This decision sets us on a perilous path that will only amplify the destruction we are already witnessing.

“Earthworks has partnered with frontline communities and partners across various states to hold local and state governments accountable, ensuring they protect public health and enact policies to combat climate change. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advance the progress we’ve made and ensure the wellbeing of communities are prioritized over the profits of the fossil fuel industry.”