EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced plans to revoke the Obama-era Endangerment Finding that has enabled government regulation of greenhouse gases, calling it “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.” The 2009 finding designated six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, as hazards to public health, legally obligating the EPA to regulate them.
Mr. Zeldin plans to reconsider 31 EPA rules, including emissions caps on power plants and tailpipe emissions limits aimed at phasing out gas-powered vehicles. The Biden administration’s April 2024 power plant rule required coal and gas plants to slash emissions by 2032, while tailpipe emission rules would force automakers to primarily sell electric vehicles by 2030.
The EPA administrator claims these rollbacks will save trillions in regulatory costs and “hidden taxes.” Environmental groups responded with alarm, with Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous warning of “devastating health impacts” that would cause thousands of deaths annually and increase pollution nationwide.
Several rules targeted for elimination would help preserve U.S. coal plants, which have declined from providing 19.3% of U.S. energy in 2020 to 15% in 2024. Mr. Zeldin argues that coal plant closures have raised energy prices and destabilized the electrical grid by reducing supply while demand increases.
The EPA will also reconsider mercury and air toxics standards, wastewater regulations for coal plants, and prioritize reviewing state permit applications for coal ash. Mr. Zeldin promised to reconsider all regulations hindering U.S. oil and natural gas production.
Additionally, Mr. Zeldin announced a 65% cut to the EPA’s budget, eliminating spending on climate justice and diversity programs. He recovered nearly $17 trillion from Citibank, where funds were allegedly set aside for climate initiatives during the Biden administration.
The deregulation includes overhauling the “social cost of carbon” calculation, which was $190 per metric ton under President Biden, $51 under President Obama, and less than $7 during President Trump’s first term.
While environmental advocates condemned the announcement, climate change skeptics celebrated, with Steve Milloy calling it “the end of crippling EPA overregulation” and describing the endangerment finding as “the linchpin of the climate hoax.”
Read more: EPA seeks to strike down ’holy grail’ of climate change rules
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