Trump Administration Overturns Foundational Climate Science Determination
The Trump administration has formally revoked the bedrock scientific determination that empowers the government to regulate climate-heating pollution, a move critics label as a gift to "billionaire polluters" at the expense of public health. This decision, announced on Thursday, eliminates the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ability to impose requirements for tracking, reporting, and limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, and other industrial sources.
Endangerment Finding Repealed After Over a Decade
Since 2009, the endangerment finding has served as the legal foundation for the EPA to control heat-trapping pollution, stating that the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere poses a significant risk to public health and welfare. By rescinding this finding, the administration removes critical regulatory tools aimed at mitigating climate change impacts, with transportation being the largest source of such pollution in the United States.
Legal and Environmental Backlash Ensues
Environmental advocates have condemned the rollback as illegal, with numerous green groups and the state of California pledging to challenge the EPA in court. California Governor Gavin Newsom warned in a statement that if the decision withstands legal scrutiny, it could lead to increased deadly wildfires, extreme heat deaths, climate-driven floods, droughts, and heightened threats to communities nationwide, while disregarding decades of protective science.
Broader Anti-Environment Agenda Under Trump
This action is part of a larger anti-environment push by the Trump administration, which has included rolling back pollution rules and promoting oil and gas interests. Over the past year, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has launched an assault on climate, air, water, and chemical protections, and the agency has removed crucial climate-focused science and data from its webpages. The move follows last month's announcement to withdraw the U.S. from key UN climate agreements and scientific bodies.
Additional Political Developments
In related news, Trump's border czar Tom Homan claimed the administration is scaling back an immigration crackdown in Minnesota linked to deaths and protests, while Senate Democrats blocked Department of Homeland Security funding over immigration tactics, risking a shutdown. A U.S. judge blocked efforts to penalize Senator Mark Kelly for urging troops to reject unlawful orders, and House members called for an inquiry into the Department of Justice's tracking of their research on Jeffrey Epstein files. Jeremy Carl, a Trump diplomat pick, faces scrutiny over alleged extremist views, and other developments include personnel changes and policy shifts in immigration and defense.
