Trump repeals key climate regulation ruling

President Trump and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced the repeal of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a pivotal 2009 decision that empowered the U.S. government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from carbon-intensive industries, including the automotive and energy sectors.

In a social media post, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin described the action as the “Single. Largest. Deregulatory. Action. EVER.” The 2009 Endangerment Finding, established under the Obama administration, concluded that greenhouse gas emissions endangered public health and welfare by contributing to global warming, extreme weather events, heat-related mortality, and reduced air quality.

The Endangerment Finding facilitated the EPA’s issuance of regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors. The agency introduced its first greenhouse gas standard for light-duty vehicles in 2010, followed by standards for medium and heavy-duty vehicles in 2011. The power generation and oil and gas sectors, among others, have also been subject to these standards, which are now jeopardised by the repeal.

In July 2025, the EPA indicated its intention to reconsider the finding, citing concerns about the robustness of the scientific basis for the Endangerment Finding and suggesting that the global warming projections it relied on were overly pessimistic. The agency has cautioned that repealing the finding would strip it of statutory authority to set greenhouse gas emissions standards, effectively nullifying existing standards for vehicles and engines.

According to the EPA, the repeal will result in savings of over $1.3 trillion by eliminating regulatory requirements for measuring, reporting, certifying, and complying with federal greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles. Zeldin remarked that the Endangerment Finding had imposed consumer choice restrictions and hidden costs, referring to it as the “Holy Grail” of the “climate change religion.”

This decision is part of a broader effort by President Trump to dismantle climate regulations. In his second term, Trump has actively worked to reverse the previous administration’s climate initiatives, starting with an executive order to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and cancelling billions in federal clean energy awards. He has also attempted to halt all major U.S. offshore wind projects.

Environmental groups have sharply criticised the administration’s actions. Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, condemned the move as an unlawful rejection of evidence that climate pollution endangers public health and safety, vowing to challenge the decision in court.