Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Court Blocks Secret Climate Panel
Coverage from American Chemical Society, Union of Concerned Scientists, and others
Articles
5
Latest Article
02/05
Active Days
7
Executive Summary
A federal judge ruled DOE broke advisory law by secretly forming a climate panel whose report was used to support EPA efforts to repeal the endangerment finding.
- Judge William Young found DOE violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act by using a secret climate working group
- The panel was handpicked by Secretary Chris Wright and met in secret more than a dozen times
- Its report downplayed climate risks and was used to support repeal of the EPA endangerment finding
- The court said the group provided policy advice, not just facts or information
- DOE and EPA records showed coordination on the report and its use in rulemaking
- The report remains in the federal record, so agencies can still cite it
- Environmental groups said the ruling should weaken efforts to roll back climate regulations
Quick Facts
- What: Court found a secret climate panel violated federal advisory law
- Where: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- Why: The report was used to justify repealing the endangerment finding
- Who: DOE, EPA, Judge William Young, environmental groups
- When: Friday, January 30, 2025
Coverage Timeline: 7 Days
Featured Article
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the Energy Department’s secret Climate Working Group violated federal advisory committee law while reassessing climate science underlying EPA regulation.
Additional Articles
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US District Court Judge William Young ruled in Massachusetts that DOE's Climate Working Group violated federal advisory rules but left its climate report in the public record.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in 2025 that the Climate Working Group violated FACA by drafting a secret report to overturn the Endangerment Finding.
A federal court in Massachusetts on January 30 ruled that the Department of Energy violated federal law by secretly convening a climate working group whose report informs rulemaking to repeal the endangerment finding.
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Department of Energy formed a secret climate skeptic panel that produced a July report, and a Massachusetts court ruled the formation violated federal law.