EPA Proposes Rescinding 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under Administrator Lee Zeldin and the Trump administration, has proposed rescinding the 2009 'endangerment finding,' which legally identifies greenhouse gases as threats to public health and underpins most climate regulations including vehicle emissions standards. This proposal aims to repeal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and other sources, which the EPA claims will reduce costs for consumers and industries, potentially saving Americans $54 billion annually. The move is described by Zeldin as the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history and is intended to restore consumer choice and ease economic burdens, particularly in the auto industry. However, environmentalists, climate scientists, and advocacy groups warn the rollback denies established science, threatens public health, and undermines efforts to combat climate change, with legal challenges expected. The proposal also follows other Trump administration actions dismantling climate policies, such as repealing electric vehicle credits and California’s EV mandates. The debate centers on balancing economic impacts against the urgent need for climate action, with the EPA asserting it lacks the legal authority to regulate greenhouse gases if the endangerment finding is reversed.