The disbanding was first reported by
CNN and now NPR has confirmed that Wright
wrote a letter on September 3rd to the five hand-picked members of the group, thanking them for their service.
The decision to disband the CWG came as a hearing was held this week in a lawsuit that the Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists had
filed against the Trump administration. As
NPR reportedpreviously, the suit alleges that Energy Secretary Chris Wright "quietly arranged for five hand-picked skeptics of the effects of climate change" to compile the government's climate report and violated the law by creating the report in secret with authors "of only one point of view."
While the Energy Department's CWG is now disbanded, the case continues over whether its report will be included in EPA's decision on regulating climate pollution. The judge has scheduled a hearing on September 23rd for the Trump administration's motion to dismiss part of the case.
The DOE report was
cited multiple times by the Environmental Protection Agency in its recent proposal to roll back what's known as the
endangerment finding, which is the basis for federal rules regulating climate pollution, including from
coal and gas-fired power plants,
cars and trucks, and
methane from the oil and gas industry.
