President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding,” — a scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, which came to prominence during Barack Obama’s presidency — on Feb. 12.
The decision eliminates the federal government’s primary legal authority to regulate planet-warming emissions from vehicles, power plants and oil and gas facilities as outlined in the Clean Air Act.
Administration officials say the action will save taxpayers more than $1.3 trillion and restore consumer choice, while some scientists and multiple state officials say it dismantles the foundation of U.S. climate policy and will be challenged in court.
“This decision betrays the American people and cements the Republican Party’s status as the pro-pollution party,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
The endangerment finding concluded that carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases put current and future generations at risk. It has influenced nearly all major federal climate regulations for 16 years, including tailpipe emissions standards for vehicle models from years 2012 through 2027. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act, leading the EPA to formalize the finding two years later.
By rescinding it, the EPA is also eliminating all federal greenhouse gas emission standards for covered vehicles and engines. The agency argues that because conserving the standards is unnecessary to protect human health and the environment, stopping all U.S. vehicle greenhouse gas emissions would not produce a substantial impact on global climate indicators through 2100.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump starkly defended the repeal, calling it “a disastrous Obama era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.” He also characterized the broader climate agenda as “the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history,” arguing that nullifying the finding would restore competitiveness to U.S. manufacturing and lower energy and transportation costs.
Critics strongly dispute Trump’s claims. Independent researchers worldwide have concluded that greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels are warming the planet and exacerbating extreme heat, droughts, floods and wildfires.
“Without [the endangerment finding], we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money,” Former President Obama said in a statement on X.
The planet has already warmed about 1.4 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Age, and the last decade ranks among the hottest on record. Public health experts warn that increased emissions could worsen asthma, heart disease and heat-related illnesses.
Environmental groups also posit that eliminating fuel-efficiency and greenhouse gas standards will increase fuel consumption and long-term costs for consumers. Experts at the Environmental Defense Fund estimate the rollback could lead to trillions in additional fuel spending and serious public health impacts due to the added pollution.
The move is expected to face immediate legal battles from states and environmental organizations. Some legal observers state the administration might ultimately seek a definitive ruling from the Supreme Court to permanently limit the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Anika Denny is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at adenny1@uci.edu.
Edited by Riley Schnittger and Mariam Farag
