The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Tuesday (July 29th) the formal proposal to revoke the 2009 greenhouse gas “Endangerment Finding,” thus completely lifting the carbon emission restrictions on cars and trucks, which has drawn widespread attention.
Zeldin made this announcement at an event at an automobile dealership in Indiana. Indiana Governor Mike Braun and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright were also present at the event.
“This is not an adjustment of standards, but a complete elimination of all related regulations, covering light, medium, and heavy-duty highway vehicles,” Zeldin stated at the meeting.
He criticized the environmental policies led by the Obama and Biden administrations, stating that the regulations deviate from the original intent of the law and fail to take precedents fully into account, “resulting in American households bearing billions of dollars in additional costs each year.”
Zeldin emphasized that the real threat to the lives of Americans is not carbon dioxide itself but the emission standards based on this finding, “because this assessment has never independently evaluated carbon dioxide.”
Back in March of this year, he urged for the rewriting of these endangerment findings and announced the withdrawal or repeal of 31 environmental rules, calling it the “largest deregulatory action in U.S. history.”
If implemented, this proposal will abolish all greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles and engines, restoring consumer choice freedom and reducing the costs of purchasing vehicles and logistical transportation for the public.
According to the EPA’s estimate, this move will reduce regulatory costs by approximately $1 trillion and save $54 billion annually.
The “Endangerment Finding” is the legal basis for the EPA to regulate new vehicle emissions under the Clean Air Act. This finding originated from the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court case, Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases are considered “air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act and required the EPA to determine whether they pose a threat to human health.
Under the Obama administration in 2009, carbon emission regulations were established based on this ruling, covering vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas facilities. In December of that year, the EPA signed two findings that laid the foundation for environmental regulation in the transportation industry, including tailpipe emissions and mandatory regulations for electric vehicles.
Among them, the “Endangerment Finding” indicates that the six major greenhouse gases currently and predictably in the atmosphere (including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) “may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare.” The “Cause or Contribute Finding” also asserts that the integrated emissions of new vehicles and engines contribute to greenhouse gas pollution.
Zeldin stated in an interview with Newsmax on July 23rd that the EPA has taken informal steps to advance the withdrawal process, with regulatory amounts based on these findings over the past 16 years reaching “tens of billions of dollars.”
He said, “Some people, under the guise of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country. They create this endangerment finding and then impose various regulations on cars, planes, and fixed facilities, essentially making many sectors of our economy unsustainable.”
The new proposal will completely revoke these regulations, including mandatory requirements for electric vehicles. Zeldin expressed, “We are correcting years of misguided policies, returning the market to science, data, and facts.”
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) believes that the stringent truck emission standards introduced by the Biden administration will disrupt the U.S. supply chain, and welcomes the Trump administration’s repeal of these policies.
Secretary of Energy Wright called it “an important step towards returning to sensible energy policies,” which will help expand affordable, reliable energy use and improve the quality of life for Americans.
Indiana Governor Braun emphasized that the state is a example of balancing environmental protection and job creation, praising this move as a “victory for consumer choice and energy independence.”
Environmental advocates strongly oppose this, stating that these findings are crucial to ensuring necessary environmental protection.
Peter Zalzal, Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund, expressed, “The Endangerment Finding is a legal foundation, supporting measures that protect millions of people from the grave threats of climate change, and clean car and truck standards are one of the most important and effective protective measures against America’s largest climate polluters.”
As per procedure, the EPA proposal will be published in the Federal Register and undergo a lengthy review and public consultation process before becoming an official rule. If ultimately approved, this will become the most significant relaxation of greenhouse gas emission restrictions for vehicles in U.S. history.