The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to revoke the Obama-era finding that has enabled the government to regulate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, including emissions from power plants and vehicles.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the plan Tuesday. He called the move part of “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.”
Mr. Zeldin called for reconsideration of 31 EPA rules, plans and regulations. He said the move “will drive a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down the cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more.”
The EPA will reconsider the landmark 2009 Endangerment Finding, arguably one of the most powerful tools the government has used to control the American energy and transportation sectors.
Mr. Zeldin called the finding “the holy grail of climate change religion.”
It was established early in President Obama’s first term and designated six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, as hazards to public health. It noted that emissions from motor vehicles specifically endanger public health.
The finding legally obligated the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, opening any deregulation effort to lawsuits.
Mr. Zeldin said he would reconsider that finding and all the regulations it enabled, including the stringent Obama- and Biden-era emissions caps on coal- and gas-fired power plants and the Biden administration’s tailpipe emissions limits that aimed to phase out sales of gas-powered cars and trucks.
The endangerment finding underpinned the Biden administration’s April 2024 power plant rule requiring new natural gas power plants and existing coal-fired power plants to slash nearly all emissions by 2032. The rule, which Mr. Zeldin’s EPA will reconsider, would shutter plants or significantly reduce operations in the face of increasing U.S. energy demands.
A year ago, the Biden administration finalized stringent tailpipe emission rules that would force automakers to stop selling gas-powered models by 2030 and sell primarily electric vehicles. The ruling led to a glut of unsold electric vehicles at dealerships. That rule is also on the chopping block.
Mr. Zeldin said rolling back the rules and regulations would save trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and “hidden taxes on U.S. families.”
Environmental groups reacted with shock at Mr. Zeldin’s announcement.
They said the elimination rules were based on stringent scientific research and served the public interest by lowering toxins in the air and water, reducing pollution at mills and plants and forcing power plants to eliminate hazardous air pollutants.
“If these rules are withdrawn, the American public will see devastating health impacts,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous. “Donald Trump’s actions will cause thousands of Americans to die each year. It will send thousands of children to the hospital and force even more to miss school. It will pollute the air and water in communities across the country.”
Several rules Mr. Zeldin seeks to banish would help salvage U.S. coal plants, which are closing rapidly because of years of government regulations to stem pollution.
In 2024, 15% of U.S. energy came from coal plants, down from 19.3% in 2020.
The disappearance of coal plants has raised energy prices and led to instability of the electrical grid by reducing energy supply. At the same time, demand has increased and renewable sources have been unable to fill the gap.
The EPA also will reconsider mercury and air toxics standards, which Mr. Zeldin says improperly targeted coal-fired plants, and wastewater regulations for coal plants.
Mr. Zeldin said the agency will prioritize the coal ash program to expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations. He promised to reconsider all regulations that hobble U.S. oil and natural gas production, and air quality and pollution standards that hinder manufacturing.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zeldin announced he would slash the EPA’s budget by 65%, partly by clawing back and eliminating spending on climate justice and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He recovered nearly $17 trillion from Citibank, where the EPA stashed the money in the final days of the Biden administration. The money was intended for nongovernmental organizations, some left-wing groups, climate justice and other green initiatives.
The deregulation will include an overhaul of the Biden administration’s “social cost of carbon,” which the administration used to justify new emissions regulations.
The equation estimated economic damages from greenhouse gas emissions. Under Mr. Biden, it was calculated at a staggering $190 per metric ton of carbon dioxide. The Obama administration priced it at $51 per ton. During Mr. Trump’s first administration, it dropped to less than $7.
While environmental groups howled at Mr. Zeldin’s announcement, those who have long challenged climate change and the green energy movement celebrated.
Steve Milloy, who contests climate change and green energy advocates on his website JunkScience and served on the Trump transition team, called Mr. Zeldin’s announcement “the end of crippling EPA overregulation, including the infamous endangerment finding that is the linchpin of the climate hoax.”
