Trump administration’s potential repeal of epa’s greenhouse gas authority could end federal climate regulation

The Trump administration is reportedly considering repealing the EPA’s “endangerment finding” – a critical regulatory foundation that allows the federal government to control carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. According to environmental law expert Pat Parenteau, an emeritus professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School, the health and climate consequences of such a move “cannot be overstated.”

The endangerment finding stems from the landmark 2007 Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA, where justices ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. This decision gave the EPA legal authority to regulate these emissions as threats to public health and welfare. If repealed, the agency would lose its primary tool for addressing climate change at the federal level.

Such a repeal would effectively strip the EPA of its ability to regulate carbon pollution across all sectors, from power plants to transportation. This could dismantle existing climate policies and prevent future federal action on greenhouse gas emissions, potentially leaving states to fill the regulatory void.

However, Parenteau suggests that certain legal and procedural obstacles might prevent the administration from fully achieving this goal. The process would likely face significant court challenges, and the scientific evidence supporting the original endangerment finding remains robust. Environmental advocates are preparing for what could become one of the most consequential regulatory battles in recent environmental law history.