Ruling against Biden admin emission reporting rule remains in place after appeal dismissed

By dismissing the appeal, the lower court’s ruling remains in place preventing the rule from being applied in other states.

By Kevin Killough

Published: February 20, 2025 2:16pm

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that an appeal to a ruling that blocked a law requiring Texas to establish carbon-dioxide emission targets has been dismissed.

“This is a major win for Texas and America. Working in partnership with President Trump, all of the Biden Administration’s unlawful regulations and blatant examples of federal overreach will be completely reversed,” Paxton said in a statement Wednesday.

By dismissing the appeal, the lower court’s ruling remains in place preventing the rule from being applied in other states. Under the rule, Texas would have been required to measure and report progress toward the achievement of the Biden administration’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero by 2050.

Paxton said in the statement that the rule would have violated federal law and imposed arbitrary burdens on the states.