Trump administration poised to eliminate federal authority over greenhouse gas emissions despite record warming

The Trump administration is preparing to take a dramatic step that would effectively end the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, despite mounting evidence of accelerating climate change. The administration is expected to formally revoke the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” – a critical scientific determination that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.

This policy reversal comes at a particularly striking time. The planet has just experienced three consecutive years of record-breaking temperatures, while scientists are increasingly concerned about climate tipping points that could trigger irreversible changes to Earth’s systems. Meanwhile, states and cities across the country are struggling with the mounting financial burden of extreme weather events and increasingly destructive wildfires.

The 17-year-old scientific finding has served as the legal foundation for federal climate action, giving the EPA authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. By eliminating this cornerstone policy, the Trump administration would essentially remove the federal government from its role in addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

The timing of this expected announcement underscores the growing disconnect between federal climate policy and the reality of climate impacts already being felt across the nation. As communities continue to face rising costs from climate-related disasters, the proposed policy change would strip away a key tool for addressing the root causes of these escalating problems.