Climate leaders gathered outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters on Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration's plans to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding, which underpins federal climate regulations. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island described the move as “corruption, plain and simple”, and promised to fight against the rollback.
The rescinding of the finding will be finalised on Thursday by Donald Trump and EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, the White House announced. The 2009 ruling established the legal basis to regulate greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act. The administration calls it the “largest deregulatory action in American history”, claiming it will save $1.3tn, though did not explain how that figure was calculated.
Environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice and Sierra Club pledged to file litigation. “We're going to be taking this fight to the courts, and we are going to win,” said Manish Bapna, president of the NRDC. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Paul Tonko of New York also promised to highlight the issue in Congress.
Experts warned the repeal could incur trillions in climate damages and healthcare costs. Joseph Goffman, former EPA assistant administrator, said the science supporting the finding has only grown stronger, but the new management is “determined to destroy the agency's public health and environmental mission”.
The move is part of Trump's “drill, baby, drill” agenda. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order directing the defence department to procure more coal power. He also received the “Undisputed Champion of Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club. The coal industry donated $3.5m to Trump's 2024 campaign.
