In a sweeping move poised to reshape U.S. environmental policy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Donald Trump is set to rescind a cornerstone scientific finding that has underpinned climate regulations for over a decade. The agency plans to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to human health and welfare, as well as eliminate vehicle emission standards, in what the administration describes as the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history.
Lee Zeldin, President Trump’s newly appointed EPA Administrator, announced the decision during an appearance on the Ruthless podcast, stating that the repeal would reduce regulatory burdens and lower costs for Americans. “They’ll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that’s the end of it. They’ll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide,” Zeldin remarked, suggesting the agency will now question the necessity of regulating greenhouse gases.
The endangerment finding, issued during President Barack Obama’s administration, served as the legal foundation for a range of federal regulations targeting emissions from vehicles, power plants, and industrial operations. It followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Massachusetts v. EPA decision in 2007, which affirmed the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases and required the agency to determine whether such emissions posed a danger to public health.
According to internal documents reviewed by Reuters, the EPA plans to argue that “developments cast significant doubt on the reliability of the findings,” thereby justifying the repeal. This move would dismantle federal greenhouse gas emission standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines.
Environmental advocates swiftly condemned the decision. “The Trump Administration has formalized climate denial as the official policy of the United States government,” said Sierra Club Acting Executive Director Loren Blackford. “Rescinding the endangerment finding would deliver a crushing blow to the EPA’s ability to limit harmful emissions and protect communities from the worsening effects of the climate crisis.”
Blackford emphasized that extreme weather events—from record heatwaves to devastating floods—are increasingly linked to rising greenhouse gas levels, and warned that rolling back climate safeguards would benefit polluting industries at the public’s expense.
The formal announcement is expected later today at an event in Indiana. If finalized, the rollback could face significant legal challenges and marks another flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the federal government’s role in addressing climate change.
