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Expand chart
Adapted from a Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law; Chart: Axios Visuals

Federal courts have not yet upheld any Trump administration efforts to delay or unwind climate regulations, a new analysis from Columbia University's Sabin Center on Climate Change Law shows.

Why it matters: Courts are a key policy venue at a time when legislation is frozen, Trump is rolling back Obama-era rules, and advocates are pushing for consideration of greenhouses gases to be woven into various federal decisions.

The big picture: The analysis, which updates an early 2018 study, looks at 129 cases in this busy area.

  • Far more cases in federal courts support climate-related protections and policies than oppose them.
  • EPA and the Interior Department were by far the most frequently sued federal agencies.

The intrigue: Lawsuits defending Obama-era policies are just a relatively small share of total climate cases.

  • Instead, many backing protections address trends that pre-date Trump, such as lawsuits pushing agencies to consider emissions when conducting reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
"They also indicate new developments, such as a surge of municipalities suing fossil fuel companies for damages related to their GHG emissions under different tort law claims and a suite of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits seeking transparency from the Trump Administration."
— writes the Sabin Center's Dena P. Adler

What's next: Several big Trump initiatives will be litigated in coming years, including looming regulations to weaken Obama-era auto mileage rules.

Go deeper: Trump's courtroom battles over global warming

Go deeper

2 hours ago - Health

FDA's top vaccine leaders are leaving

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Two of the FDA's top vaccine regulators, Marion Gruber and Phil Krause, are leaving the agency, which was first reported by BioCentury.

Why it matters: The FDA appears to be increasingly rudderless at a crucial time in the pandemic. The agency still has no permanent commissioner and now is losing two highly regarded vaccine experts all while officials weigh full approval of the COVID-19 vaccines for adults, initial authorization for kids, and booster shots for many.

Biden defends ending mission in Afghanistan

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Biden said on Tuesday that ending the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan "was designed to save American lives."

Why it matters: While Biden said he did not regret pulling U.S. troops from Afghanistan, he made a commitment to get Americans still in the country out even without a military presence.

Updated 3 hours ago - Science

California's Caldor Fire nears South Lake Tahoe after thousands flee

Fire crews worked all night to stop the Caldor Fires spread after it spotted across US Highway 89 in California. Photo: Neal Waters/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Firefighters in California continued to battle the swelling Caldor Fire, which had grown to more than 191,607 acres and was 16% contained on Tuesday morning.

Latest: "One of the complexities that we faced in this fire is firebrands can be picked up by winds ... and carried a great distance," said Tim Ernst, Cal Fire's operations section chief. "So, firefighters all night long were doing structure prep and structure defense" in and near the Tahoe Basin, he added.