US President Trump Revokes Scientific Finding Behind Climate Change Regulations

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is rescinding a 2009 declaration known as the “endangerment finding”. This decision, made on Thursday, marks a significant shift in the agency’s stance on regulating greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change.

The endangerment finding, established under the Obama administration, stated that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. It served as the legal basis for nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants, and other pollution sources.

As part of this decision, the EPA has also announced plans to repeal tax credits for automakers who install automatic start-stop ignition systems in their vehicles. The agency’s new rule will no longer regulate greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin described the endangerment finding as “the Holy Grail of federal regulatory overreach”. He stated that the decision to rescind the finding is “the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far”.

Environmental groups have expressed concerns about the impact of this decision on climate regulations. They argue that the evidence supporting the endangerment finding has grown stronger over the past 17 years.

The EPA’s new rule will likely face pushback in the US court system. Environmental law professor Ann Carlson stated that overturning the finding could “raise more havoc” than other actions taken by the Trump administration to roll back environmental rules.

In a statement, Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator and White House climate adviser, described the Trump administration’s actions as “reckless”. She noted that the agency would rather focus on protecting the public from pollution and its impacts on climate change.

Source: Al Jazeera