Trump Administration Moves to Repeal Landmark US Climate Endangerment Finding
The administration of US President Donald Trump is set to formally repeal a foundational scientific determination that underpins the federal government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a move that could dismantle large portions of US climate policy.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected on Thursday to finalise the reversal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a conclusion reached during the Obama administration that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare by driving climate change.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the decision at a news briefing on Tuesday, saying President Trump would be joined by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalise the rescission.
She described the move as “the largest deregulatory action in American history,” claiming it would save Americans US$1.3 trillion in regulatory costs.
The Endangerment Finding concluded that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, endanger human health and welfare. It was issued following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA, which determined that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to assess whether they pose a danger to public health.
Although the finding initially applied to vehicle emissions, it later became the legal foundation for a broader range of climate regulations. Repealing it would immediately revoke federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and place other climate rules in legal jeopardy, including limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and methane leaks from oil and gas operations.
The rollback would represent a significant benefit for the fossil fuel industry and a sharp departure from decades of US climate policy.
The administration’s draft proposal rests on both legal and scientific arguments. It contends that greenhouse gases should not be treated as traditional pollutants because their impacts on human health are indirect and global rather than local, arguing that domestic regulation cannot meaningfully address a worldwide problem.
On the scientific side, the administration has sought to minimise the scale and impacts of human-caused climate change. It previously commissioned an Energy Department working group that included critics of mainstream climate science to produce a report challenging the scientific consensus.
That report drew widespread criticism for misattributing and misrepresenting scientific studies. Environmental organisations sued the Energy Department, alleging the panel was convened in violation of federal transparency rules. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later disbanded the group.
The Trump administration has argued that repealing the Endangerment Finding would lower new vehicle prices, which have increased sharply since the pandemic. However, those claims have been disputed.
An EPA analysis conducted during the administration of President Joe Biden found that existing emissions standards would save the average American driver around US$6,000 over the lifetime of a vehicle through reduced fuel and maintenance costs.
While the administration says climate regulations imposed more than US$1 trillion in cumulative costs that were passed on to consumers as “hidden taxes,” it has not weighed those costs against the monetised benefits of climate protection, improved public health and fuel savings.
Environmental groups have vowed to challenge the repeal in court.
“The Trump EPA is cynically pretending climate change isn’t a risk to Americans’ health and welfare,” said Meredith Hankins, federal climate legal director at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
She described the move as the largest attack on federal authority to address climate change and warned it would increase risks for millions of Americans facing more frequent and severe disasters. Hankins added that the administration’s legal arguments were “slapdash” and should not withstand judicial scrutiny.
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