Trump administration eliminates epa’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions

The Trump administration has officially revoked the EPA’s “endangerment finding,” a critical scientific determination that has served as the legal foundation for federal climate action since 2009. This landmark ruling originally established that greenhouse gas emissions pose a direct threat to public health and welfare, empowering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon pollution from cars, power plants, and industrial facilities.

The rollback effectively strips the federal government of its primary tool for limiting climate-heating emissions across major sectors of the economy. Environmental advocates are condemning the move as a devastating blow to public health protections, with critics arguing it prioritizes corporate polluters over American families. “This rollback of the government’s ability to limit climate-heating pollution will make families sicker and less safe,” said one environmental advocate.

The endangerment finding has been instrumental in driving emissions reductions over the past 15 years, enabling regulations on vehicle fuel efficiency standards, power plant emissions, and industrial greenhouse gas limits. Its elimination removes the scientific and legal basis for many existing climate regulations and prevents new ones from being implemented.

The decision comes as climate scientists continue to document accelerating impacts from rising global temperatures, including more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and threats to food and water security. Environmental groups warn that dismantling climate protections will accelerate these trends while disproportionately harming vulnerable communities already facing the worst effects of pollution and climate change.