Trump administration repeals EPA endangerment finding

Today, the Trump administration officially repealed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 endangerment finding. This 2009 determination established that greenhouse gases are a threat to human health and welfare. For over a decade, the finding served as the essential regulatory foundation supporting the agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, which is the primary US federal law governing air pollution.

Currently, the newly enacted rule applies only to car and truck tailpipe emissions. However, this policy shift is expected to be the first of several similar changes to federal air pollution regulations. A complete rollback will not occur immediately; the EPA must navigate a lengthy administrative process before the 2009 endangerment finding can be fully repealed.

The regulatory rollback was initiated by EPA administrator Lee Zeldin. According to Axios, the move will slow the decline in emissions by about 10%. This policy shift has drawn critical commentary from environmental organizations. Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, a US-based environmental advocacy nonprofit, criticized the decision, stating: “This action will only lead to more pollution, and that will lead to higher costs and real harms for American families”.

The policy shift comes amid severe long-term projections regarding the global and domestic impacts of unchecked emissions. Unabated climate change is expected to raise mortality rates by around 2% in the U.S. On a global scale, unabated climate change could reduce global GDP by 17% by 2050, which represents an economic loss of $38 trillion.

Why it matters

The repeal removes the regulatory foundation for greenhouse gas oversight under the Clean Air Act. This shift in federal policy is expected to slow the decline in emissions by about 10%, altering the trajectory of U.S. environmental regulation.