The administration moved to overturn a foundational federal climate policy decision that underpins greenhouse gas regulation across the economy.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday formalized the rescission of the 2009 “endangerment finding” — a scientific determination that long served as the legal foundation for U.S. federal action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions — in a White House ceremony that included a public announcement and media availability. The event can be viewed here.
The Trump administration’s action rescinds the 2009 endangerment finding, a policy first issued during the Obama administration that concluded carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases “endanger public health and welfare,” authorizing regulatory measures under the Clean Air Act. The finding has been the legal basis for federal rules covering vehicle emissions, power plant pollution, methane standards, and other climate policies for more than 16 years. The move was widely anticipated and announced in advance by the administration.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and Zeldin would “formalize the rescission of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding,” describing the action as “the largest deregulatory action in American history” and claiming it will save Americans approximately $1.3 trillion primarily by lowering costs tied to vehicle emissions standards.
Zeldin, confirmed as EPA administrator in 2025, has been leading the agency’s shift toward deregulatory priorities since his appointment. The endangerment finding recall is part of the EPA’s broader overhaul of its climate authority and environmental regulatory reach.
Under the Clean Air Act, the endangerment finding was required before the EPA could regulate greenhouse gases because those gases were classified as air pollutants that pose a risk to health and welfare. With that finding removed, many existing federal emissions regulations — particularly those targeting motor vehicles — lose their statutory underpinning.
The administration has defended the rescission, saying it will reduce burdens on industry and consumers while enhancing economic growth and energy affordability. Officials have cited potential savings of more than $2,400 per new vehicle by eliminating emissions requirements tied to the finding.
Critics, including scientists and climate policy experts, argue that removing the endangerment finding undermines nearly all federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases and will hamper efforts to address climate change and its associated public health risks. They say the science linking greenhouse gas emissions to climate impacts has only grown stronger since 2009 and that legal challenges to the rescission are likely.
Environmental groups and legal advocates have already pledged to challenge the action in court, asserting the EPA’s decision to undo the finding could face extensive litigation.
The endangerment finding originated from a 2007 Supreme Court decision that directed the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases if they were shown to endanger public health. That ruling led to the 2009 determination that anchored federal climate rules for more than a decade.
Thursday’s ceremony marked the culmination of a long-running Trump administration initiative to roll back environmental regulations, a priority highlighted in executive orders and policy proposals since early in Trump’s second term.
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