EPA Proposes Repeal of Climate Rules on Greenhouse Gases

The Trump administration, under EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, has proposed to rescind the 2009 EPA endangerment finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, a move described as the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history. This proposal would also repeal all greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, effectively removing climate regulations for the automobile sector, and significantly weakening federal climate policies beyond the first Trump term. The EPA's legal justification for this reversal, including claims that the Clean Air Act does not apply to global pollutants like greenhouse gases, contradicts statutory language and Supreme Court rulings such as Massachusetts v. EPA, which affirmed EPA's authority to regulate these emissions. Scientists and public health advocates have strongly condemned the proposal, emphasizing that the original 2009 finding is based on robust and increasingly rigorous scientific evidence demonstrating the dangers of greenhouse gases. Beyond regulatory rollbacks, the administration is conducting a broader campaign to erase climate data and scientific information from federal agencies, aiming to undermine the scientific basis for understanding and responding to climate change. Experts warn that these actions represent a targeted and organized effort to dismantle climate science infrastructure, posing risks to public health, environmental justice, and the nation's ability to address climate impacts.