New EPA proposal aims to strike down landmark climate "endangerment finding"
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is quietly drafting a rule to undo its 2009 finding that greenhouse gases threaten human health — a move that could cripple U.S. climate protections.
Jake Spring reports for The Washington Post.
In short:
- The EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin is proposing to repeal the “endangerment finding,” the legal basis for regulating carbon pollution from vehicles and power plants.
- The draft rule avoids science and instead hinges on legal arguments, claiming the agency lacks authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases.
- Critics say the repeal ignores overwhelming evidence and could unravel over a trillion dollars in emissions regulations, stalling U.S. climate policy even if courts ultimately block it.
Key quote:
“Withdrawing the endangerment finding is in effect a repudiation of scientific reality.”
— Joseph Goffman, former head of the EPA’s air office under Biden
Why this matters:
Trump's EPA is putting forth a legal argument that claims the agency no longer has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gases that are heating the planet. If successful, this maneuver could invalidate everything from vehicle emissions standards to power plant rules. Even if courts block the final rule, the damage could be done.
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