US battles to repeal science rule that underpins climate regs
Lee Zeldin Targets 2009 Endangerment Finding on Vehicle Emissions
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called for the removal of a 2009 scientific determination that the EPA used to justify climate regulations on motor vehicles.
Key Points of the Proposed Deregulation
- The move could erase the legal foundation for a wide array of climate rules, including those covering power plants and oil‑and‑gas operations.
- Following the announcement in March, the change will undergo a 45‑day public comment period and is likely to face legal challenges.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright added that the Department of Energy had carried out a new study about climate science.
Economic and Environmental Implications
EPA officials said the endangerment finding had actually justified more than $1 trillion in regulations. Eliminating it could save about $54 billion annually, but experts argue that the rules have also saved drivers $6,000 on fuel and maintenance over a vehicle’s lifetime.
Legal Battle Looms
- Environmental groups and states are expected to file urgent lawsuits, which could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
- Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity warned that the Endangerment Finding has survived multiple industry challenges but that the current government is mounting its own attack.
- He added that the cost‑saving arguments are misleading, citing data showing that the standards have already saved millions of Americans.
President Trump’s Climate Agenda
Since returning to office, President Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and has promoted a major campaign to expand fossil‑fuel development, including new moves to open ecologically sensitive areas of Alaska to drilling. The announcement comes as the planet swelters under record heat, with tens of millions of Americans baked under a brutal heat dome in the Southeast and climate‑fueled flooding killing more than 100 people in Texas.
