The U.S. government is poised to reverse a foundational climate policy by rescinding a 2009 “endangerment finding” that has legally qualified carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as harmful to public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act. The decision, expected this week from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will be formalized in a White House ceremony with President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the administration announced on Tuesday.
The White House described repealing the scientific finding — the basis for most federal greenhouse gas regulations, including vehicle emissions standards — as the “largest deregulatory action in American history,” projecting roughly $1.3 trillion in regulatory savings and around $2,400 lower per-vehicle costs for automakers.
Critics, including environmental advocates and legal experts, warn the move undermines decades of climate policy, ignores robust scientific evidence that greenhouse gases harm human health, and could increase emissions. Legal challenges are expected immediately, and the rollback may reshape the legal landscape for climate action. Legal analysts also say the repeal could revive litigation over emissions liability now restricted under existing precedent.
Supporters argue that Congress, not the EPA, should set greenhouse gas rules, contending current federal authority lacks clear legislative backing.
