On his first day back in office President Trump, among his slew of executive orders, asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit recommendations on “the legality and continuing applicability” of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a section of the Clean Air Act that concluded greenhouse gases are a threat to public health. In the months since, the EPA and its head, Lee Zeldin, revisited the 2009 finding and continued on a trajectory that seeks to rescind regulations concerning greenhouse gas emissions.
This week, at a commercial truck dealership in Indiana, Zeldin shared news of the agency’s formal proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding. A car lot was a fitting location to make the announcement: Should it pass after a review process and public comment, it “would repeal all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines.” A primary motivation for the EPA in rescinding the regulations is cost savings for consumers, while another is doing away with what the administration has dubbed the “green new scam” agenda. A press release from the agency stated repealing “all greenhouse gas standards” could save Americans $54 billion annually.
At the event Indiana, and on the conservative podcast Ruthless, Zeldin touched on the appropriation of funds (totaling $1 trillion) related to the regulation terms laid out by the 2009 Endangerment Finding. Those opposing deregulation have said the climate costs could be astronomical, and the financial benefits of limiting greenhouse gas emissions on vehicles will come later, according to data laid out in an EPA analysis report.
Under the proposal, “all greenhouse gas standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and heavy-duty engines” would be removed. This comes amid a rapid transition to electric vehicles, which automakers have already started adopting as the sale of EVs rises. Limits on greenhouse gas pollution from factories and power plants could also be rescinded. In June, the agency shared a separate, but similar proposal that seeks to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for the power sector, a move that favors coal and natural gas. If rescinded, regulation over greenhouse gas emissions will fall under the jurisdiction of states.
Before any of this can go into effect, it must go through a review process and public comment. It’s also likely that the move to repeal regulations will be challenged in court.
Since Zeldin was appointed by Trump in January, his administration has proposed other slashes and cutbacks to environmental programs and regulations impacting the built environment. These include cutting the budgets on initiatives and entities that support sustainability, DEI, natural disaster relief, and environmental justice work. The EPA also recently announced plans to scale down the Energy Star program, launched over 30 years ago to designate and promote energy-efficient appliances and architecture.
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