EPA Administrator Plans to Repeal 2009 Greenhouse Gas Findings
On Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to repeal the 2009 findings on greenhouse gases established during the Obama administration, which would have set significant federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. This change is expected to save Americans a considerable amount of money.
Back in 2009, the EPA determined under the Clean Air Act that several greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, posed dangers to public health and welfare. This finding led to a series of new regulations aimed at mitigating those risks.
A Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA confirmed that greenhouse gases could be regulated if deemed a threat to public health. Zeldin noted, “During my travels across all 50 states, I heard from numerous Americans who not only found features like start-stop annoying but also wished to see them eliminated completely.”
The Trump administration has taken decisive actions to reduce federal regulations, boasting the removal of over 600 regulations in a year and significant savings for taxpayers.
In Zeldin’s view, many feel that start-stop technology is more of a nuisance than a benefit, often draining vehicle batteries instead of providing environmental advantages. He emphasized that his administration aims to stop rewarding automakers for using technologies that barely affect pollution levels.
Prioritizing consumer choice, Zeldin stated that his office intends to implement “common sense rules.”
According to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the adjustment of mileage standards and the removal of certain regulations align with Trump’s efforts to slash costs and reinvigorate manufacturing in the U.S.
The changes could dismantle all previous federal greenhouse gas standards for vehicles since the 2009 declaration. The start-stop technology, acknowledged by the EPA in 2012, has frustrated many drivers, especially when their engines shut off at traffic lights.
Interestingly, this start-stop system became a regulatory loophole, allowing manufacturers to accrue greenhouse gas credits without demonstrating real reductions in emissions or health benefits.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt described the repeal of the 2009 findings as the largest deregulatory action in American history, estimating it could save Americans approximately $1.3 trillion.
However, the environmental community is already gearing up for legal challenges against these new rules, as suggested by the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice. Its president, Abigail Dillen, criticized the Trump administration for what she called a failure to protect citizens from severe weather and climate change impacts. Dillen asserted that the EPA’s decision is incompatible with legal and scientific standards, suggesting litigation will be unavoidable.
