The Trump administration rescinded a key scientific determination that has anchored federal climate policy for more than 15 years, on Thursday, Feb. 12, a sweeping rollback that could have significant implications for coastal communities such as those inNassau Countyand is expected to face immediate legal challenges.
Alongside PresidentDonald Trumpin the White House’s Roosevelt Room,EPA Administrator Lee Zeldinannounced what he called the “single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” eliminating the 2009 Obama-era Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and all subsequent federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles from model years 2012 to 2027 and beyond.
Zeldin said the action would save American taxpayers over $1.3 trillion, restore consumer choice, make vehicles more affordable, and reduce costs for families.
“The Endangerment Finding has been the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans,” Zeldin said. “Referred to by some as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the ‘climate change religion,’ the Endangerment Finding is now eliminated. The Trump EPA is strictly following the letter of the law, returning common sense to policy, delivering consumer choice to Americans and advancing the American Dream.”
The 2009 endangerment finding served as the legal foundation for nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act, including limits on emissions from motor vehicles, power plants and other major sources of pollution. The EPA said the repeal eliminates federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could open the door to undoing regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities.
Trump called the move “the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far,” and described the 2009 finding as having “no basis in fact” or law. He praised fossil fuels for lifting people out of poverty. Scientists worldwide, however, have concluded that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are driving worsening heat waves, stronger storms, drought, and sea level rise.
The EPA also announced a two-year delay to a Biden-era rule restricting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks and ended incentives for automakers to install automatic start-stop ignition systems designed to reduce emissions.
The endangerment finding followed a 2007 Supreme Court ruling inMassachusetts v. EPAthat determined greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and that the EPA has the authority to regulate them. Courts have since upheld the finding, including a 2023 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Environmental groups swiftly condemned the repeal. Fred Krupp, president of theEnvironmental Defense Fund, called the move unlawful and said it “rejects the overwhelming evidence that climate pollution threatens everyone’s health and safety.” He said the organization plans to challenge the decision in court.
The rollback could carry particular resonance on Long Island, where Nassau County’s shoreline communities are vulnerable to coastal flooding and sea level rise. Local officials in recent years have invested in storm hardening, flood mitigation, and infrastructure upgrades in response to increasingly severe weather.
Source: LI Press
