For over 15 years, various governments have relied on limited scientific and legal research to back their climate action initiatives. Now, the Trump administration is seriously contemplating the repeal of key climate change regulations established during the Obama era.
The current administration is revisiting the EPA’s “danger discovery,” a regulation from 2009 that stemmed from a Supreme Court case, Massachusetts vs. EPA, dating back to 2007. This hazard detection rule mandates that the EPA manage climate change impacts linked to greenhouse gases, as outlined in the Clean Air Act—a piece of legislation last updated in 1990.
“With the enlightened leadership of President Trump and Administrator Zeldin, we are entering a period of fresh perspectives,” a statement declared.
On his first day as president, Trump endorsed Executive Order 14154, entitled “Unleashing American Energy.” This directive instructed the EPA and other agencies to reevaluate risk assessments and corresponding environmental guidelines.
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece from March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin elaborated on the intentions behind Trump’s executive order. He stated that overhauling extensive rules on risk detection aims to dismantle the “climate change religion” and potentially pave the way for “America’s golden age.”
Currently, a page on the OMB website highlights proposed regulations classified as “economically important,” focusing on the “Greenhouse Gas Hazard Discovery and Automobile Rethinking Rules.” Specifics about these proposed regulations are still pending finalization and publication; the EPA submitted this rule to the OMB on June 30.
This decision to reassess risk discovery has met with pushback from climate advocacy groups. David Doniger, a senior lawyer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, voiced concerns that the administration is effectively undermining clean air standards by suggesting certain risks aren’t actually harmful. “It feels like they’re trying to downplay the substantial evidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thomas Pyle, chair of the Energy Research Institute, remarked to The Washington Post that it’s about time the administration took a close look at such regulations. Ultimately, he believes Congress should have a say in the matter.
Some prominent figures involved in this reevaluation have shown alignment with previous orders from the Trump administration. As highlighted in a press release, Jeff Clark, information and regulatory issues manager, argued that assessments regarding the Endangerment Finding necessitate consideration of downstream costs tied to both mobile sources, like vehicles, and stationary sources, such as industrial facilities.
“The EPA’s regulations on climate significantly influence jobs, wages, and family finances. It’s been quite a while since the harmful effects of Obama’s discoveries on people’s lives have been properly assessed,” Clark remarked.
Before a formal announcement, the Bureau of Management and Budget will further review the danger discovery.
