The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping plan to roll back a foundational scientific finding that has guided US climate policy for over a decade.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed repealing the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.
This finding has served as the legal basis for a broad range of regulations under the Clean Air Act, covering vehicle emissions, power plants, and industrial pollution.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the move the “largest deregulatory action in US history,” arguing that climate regulations based on the finding have burdened the economy and cost Americans billions.
“There are people who, in the name of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country,” Zeldin said on the conservative “Ruthless” podcast.
The proposed rollback must undergo public review and is expected to face strong legal opposition from environmental groups. Critics, including three former EPA administrators, condemned the move as dangerous and scientifically baseless, warning it could jeopardise public health and worsen the climate crisis.
The EPA also announced plans to repeal limits on tailpipe emissions meant to encourage electric vehicle adoption—rules Trump has inaccurately described as an “EV mandate.” The transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gases in the US.
Environmental advocates swiftly denounced the proposal. Christy Goldfuss of the Natural Resources Defence Council said, “As Americans reel from deadly floods and heat waves, the Trump administration is trying to argue that the emissions turbocharging these disasters are not a threat.”
The move follows a Trump executive order directing a review of the endangerment findings’ legal standing. Zeldin’s broader deregulatory agenda, announced in March, targets 31 environmental rules across air, water, and climate policy.
According to the Associated Press, legal experts believe overturning the finding will be a steep challenge, pointing to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Environmental groups argue that revoking the endangerment finding would strip the EPA of its ability to regulate climate pollution and could prevent future administrations from taking action. “To repeal the endangerment finding now would be like a driver speeding toward a cliff taking his foot off the brake and hitting the gas,” said climate scientist Scott Saleska.
Critics say the proposal undermines settled science, environmental protection, and public safety, threatening decades of climate progress as the planet continues to face escalating disasters linked to global warming.
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With inputs from Associated Press