Trump administration repeals key climate rule, but legal challenges and industry pushback may derail the move

The Trump administration has formally repealed the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” – a foundational climate rule that classifies greenhouse gases as dangerous air pollutants. This sweeping action eliminates the legal basis for nearly all federal climate regulations, from vehicle emissions standards to power plant pollution limits. President Trump called it “the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” claiming it will reduce costs and lower car prices.

However, the move faces significant legal hurdles and may actually backfire. Legal experts point out that the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, most notably in the landmark 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA case. Even conservative justices have not challenged this core authority in recent decisions. Environmental and health groups have already announced plans to sue, and legal scholars expect the courts to overturn the repeal.

The consequences could create regulatory chaos that even industry groups want to avoid. If federal greenhouse gas regulation disappears, individual states could impose their own conflicting emissions standards without EPA approval. This would force automakers to navigate a patchwork of different rules across states – exactly the scenario the auto industry has lobbied against. Additionally, eliminating federal climate authority could expose oil companies and utilities to a flood of climate damage lawsuits, since the Clean Air Act currently shields them from such litigation.

Ironically, major industry players like the American Petroleum Institute, despite historically opposing climate regulations, now support maintaining federal EPA authority to avoid the legal and regulatory uncertainty that would follow its elimination.