Trump Administration Moves to Repeal Key Climate Finding, Paving Way for Major Deregulation

The administration of Donald Trump is preparing to overturn the long-standing “endangerment finding,” a scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health and welfare, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. First established during the tenure of Barack Obama, the finding has served as the core legal basis for federal regulation of greenhouse gases. Its repeal would dismantle the foundation for a broad range of climate rules and mark one of the most sweeping environmental policy reversals in U.S. history. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has described the move as potentially the “largest act of deregulation” ever undertaken in the country.

The proposed rollback, which has reportedly been under development for more than a year, was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review in early January and has drawn more than 500,000 public comments. Administration officials indicated that rescinding the finding would eliminate requirements tied to measuring, reporting, and complying with federal greenhouse gas standards for vehicles, though the change would not apply to stationary sources such as power plants. An EPA spokesperson argued the finding had been used by both the Obama and Joe Biden administrations to justify extensive and costly emissions regulations across multiple sectors.

The effort may face legal headwinds. A federal court recently ruled that the U.S. Department of Energy acted unlawfully in forming a climate science advisory group whose work was meant to support the repeal, a decision that could leave the final rule vulnerable to court challenges. Industry response has been mixed: while some groups back easing vehicle standards, others, including the American Petroleum Institute, have signaled caution, supporting changes for vehicles but favoring continued regulation of methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The debate underscores the legal and regulatory uncertainty likely to follow any attempt to dismantle the endangerment finding.

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