Trump EPA to Reverse Climate Change Rules, Undoing ‘Endangerment Finding’

Trump Administration Set to Reverse Landmark Climate Change Finding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration is poised to dismantle a key pillar of U.S. Climate policy by overturning the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a determination that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health and welfare. The move, expected to be formally announced on Thursday, would eliminate the legal basis for many federal regulations aimed at curbing pollution from vehicles, power plants, and other industries.

The decision, described by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as “the single largest act of deregulation in the history of the USA,” marks a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to roll back environmental protections. According to sources, President Trump will be joined by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for an event Wednesday focused on promoting increased U.S. Coal usage, coinciding with the anticipated repeal of mercury and air toxics standards.

The endangerment finding, initially established during the Obama administration, required the federal government to regulate six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. Revoking this finding effectively asserts that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lacked the authority to implement such regulations in the first place.

Gretchen Goldman, president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists, described the impending action as “devastating.” “The impacts of this action will be vast, both in terms of our immediate ability to protect people from the harms of climate change, economic harms, health harms, and also in terms of our ability to meet U.S. Climate goals, to meet global climate goals,” she said.

The administration’s move follows a previous attempt to undermine the scientific basis of the endangerment finding. During his first term, President Trump reportedly convened a group of climate change skeptics within the Department of Energy to produce a report challenging established climate science. The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Environmental Defense Fund successfully challenged this effort in court, forcing the administration to disband the group and release over 100,000 pages of related documents.

Goldman noted that the rollback is not simply a weakening of existing regulations, but a fundamental challenge to the EPA’s regulatory power. “This is their holy grail,” she stated. “They’ve been focused on this for a long time, because the reality of climate change and its impacts are very inconvenient if you’re someone who wants to give handouts to the fossil fuel industry and wants to ensure that these industries can continue polluting communities across the country.”

The decision comes less than a month after the Trump administration withdrew the U.S. From the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Goldman characterized these actions as an “abdication of U.S. Leadership on climate,” with significant implications for both domestic emissions reductions and international cooperation.

The rollback is also expected to impact vehicle emissions standards. Leavitt specifically highlighted auto standards as an area where regulations would be eased. Goldman, who previously worked at the Department of Transportation, explained that stronger standards implemented under the previous administration were saving consumers money, reducing pollution, and driving innovation. Reversing these standards, she warned, would stifle progress and increase costs for consumers.

Climate action advocates and Democrat-led states have vowed to challenge the repeal of the endangerment finding in court, arguing that it not only erases the Biden administration’s climate regulations but also makes it more difficult for future administrations to address fossil fuel pollution.