Trump Administration to Repeal 2009 Endangerment Finding
This week, the Trump administration is set to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding established during the Obama era, which concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles pose a threat to public health and welfare. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made this announcement on Tuesday.
Leavitt characterized the repeal as the “largest deregulatory action in American history,” explaining that it is projected to save taxpayers about $1.3 trillion by removing burdensome regulations.
Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts that this change could lower the cost of new vehicles by an average of $2,400.
“On Thursday, President Trump will be joined by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalize the rescission of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding,” Leavitt said at a press briefing. “This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history.”
This action is part of a larger initiative to roll back federal climate regulations, which had their roots in the Obama administration’s policies. The Endangerment Finding has been a pivotal legal basis for numerous stringent vehicle emission standards.
Leavitt stressed that this decision aims to make life more affordable for American families, particularly regarding new vehicle costs.
“This is just one more way this administration is working to make life more affordable for everyday Americans,” she said.
Last year, when the EPA announced its intention to revoke the finding, it hinted at additional rollbacks of related vehicle regulations.
An EPA spokesperson commented that repealing the finding would strip the agency of its authority under the Clean Air Act to set some vehicle emission standards, referring to the initial finding as “one of the most damaging decisions in modern history.”
In a separate context, Leavitt noted that the GOP administration plans to hold an event on Wednesday to advocate for “clean, beautiful coal.”
The Endangerment Finding was established in 2009, following a 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases are considered air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and prompted regulation if they endanger public health. The Obama EPA ultimately concluded that these emissions pose significant risks to public health and welfare, highlighting concerns like rising ozone levels and increased extreme weather events.
“The evidence concerning how human-induced climate change may alter extreme weather events also clearly supports a finding of endangerment,” it stated.
Following the initial discussion about the repeal in 2025, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the move, labeling it a “corrupt giveaway to Big Oil.”
“Who will pay the price for Donald Trump’s corruption? Quite literally every single community in this country,” Schumer remarked on the Senate floor.
“The repeal will hurt kids with asthma. The repeal will hurt homeowners and destabilize insurance markets as extreme weather worsens,” he continued, suggesting that the impact would be felt nationwide.
Throughout his campaign, Trump promised to dismantle regulations affecting the auto industry, a pledge that resonated particularly in manufacturing regions such as Michigan. His focus has been on reversing Democratic efforts aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. Now, the GOP administration is expanding its agenda to include loosening environmental restrictions on power plants.
