U.S. Climate Policy

27 posts

Appropriated, but Unobligated: Impounding Climate Funds

The Trump administration has undertaken a comprehensive effort to prevent the distribution of mandatory federal funding, including billions for climate programs. Attempts to cancel already-obligated federal funding awards have been among its most notable actions and have been met with a slew of lawsuits by aggrieved grantees, states, and other […]

Supreme Court Signals Challenges to Federal Grant Terminations are Contract Disputes

*This is the first post in a blog series that examines the impact of federal grant termination litigation on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). At the time of this post, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has just issued a decision in Climate […]

The Endangerment Finding: The Local Perspective Matters Right Now (Template Comment Letter Linked)

[Here and at the end of this post, a template comment letter is linked for local governments to adapt for their own comments in the Endangerment Finding rule making process.] On August 1, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed repeal of the “Endangerment Finding,” the scientific […]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Considerations for Cities and Community Partners

Congress broke for summer recess last week, but not before sending the long awaited, hotly debated One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act or the Act), or H.R. 1, to President Trump’s desk for a July 4th signing. The budget measure extends tax cuts for the wealthy, slashes Medicaid and […]

Examining the Remarkable Rise of Ultra Vires Claims Against the Executive Branch

Since 2016, presidents and their administrations have increasingly drawn lawsuits arguing that they are overstepping their authority. In these ultra vires claims, litigants contend that presidential actions—including, for example, executive orders, proclamations, or memoranda, as well actions by executive agencies done at the President’s behest—exceed the scope of the authority […]

The End of Nationwide Injunctions for Federal Funding Award Terminations

On Friday, June 27, the Supreme Court’s term closed and the Court handed down its final opinions, including in a case called Trump v. CASA. The CASA plaintiffs challenged President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, but the Court’s decision – which made no substantive holdings about citizenship or immigration […]

Lincoln Memorial from afar

100 Days of Trump 2.0: Considerations for Cities and Community Partners

The first 100 days of the second Trump administration have proved volatile for local governments working to advance ambitious climate action. We have seen the freezing or termination of federal grants and other financial assistance, executive orders seeking to usurp state and local authority, the initiation of extensive deregulatory efforts, […]

100 Days of Trump 2.0: Laying the Groundwork for Future Climate Litigation Battles

This post is part of a new Climate Law Blog series, 100 Days of Trump 2.0, in which the Sabin Center offers reflections on the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term across a variety of climate-related topics. To read other posts from the series, which will roll out over […]