EPA Announces Plan To Throw Out Obama-Era Climate Restrictions

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced at a press conference Tuesday that the agency would begin rolling back Obama-era policies that have allowed the federal government to heavily regulate vehicle emissions and more.

The new rule reverses the “Endangerment Finding,” a 2009 decision that classified gases like methane and carbon dioxide as detrimental to the environment and people’s health. Based on that rule, the EPA was able to justify regulating emissions standards across all industries under the Clean Air Act.

“This has been referred to as basically driving a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion,” Zeldin said in a podcast appearance Monday.

The rule “Would repeal all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines, thereby reinstating consumer choice and giving Americans the ability to purchase a safe and affordable car for their family while decreasing the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver,” the EPA said in a press release.

Zeldin says the move will slash unnecessary spending for individual businesses and eliminate the contentious Electric Vehicle mandates. He also plans on opening a line of communication for public comment on the effects of emission regulations.

“If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families,” Zeldin said.

Jeff Clark, the acting administrator of the Office of Management and Budget, similarly touted the economic benefits of this proposed rule in a Tuesday morning post. Clark said that an estimated national savings from this decreased regulation ranges from $1.7 to $8.2 trillion from 2027 to 2055.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who appeared with Zeldin to make the announcement, praised President Trump for “returning to free and open dialogue around climate and energy policy, driving the focus back to following the data.”

“Today’s announcement is a monumental step toward returning to commonsense policies that expand access to affordable, reliable, secure energy and improve quality of life for all Americans,” Wright added.

This regulatory change will not be without legal challenge. The landmark 2007 Supreme Court case, Massachusetts v. EPA, determined that the Clean Air Act sufficiently allowed for the federal government to regulate emissions if it determined that climate change or pollutants pose a harm to the American public.

Other similar rulings have strengthened the EPA’s hold on emission standards for vehicles and businesses. The proposal will face a lengthy review process, including public comment, before it is finalized.

Zeldin hopes to slash red tape holding back businesses by redefining what the EPA can regulate.

“With regard to the endangerment finding, they’ll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that’s the end of it. They’ll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide,” he said. “It’s important to note, and they don’t, how important it is for the planet.”

Zeldin continued, saying that “We shouldn’t shy away from all of the innovation in the way that we tap into an energy supply here in the United States.”

He praised the EPA’s quick and decisive action in this move to commit to the massive deregulation.

“It’s one agency, in one year, doing more deregulation than the entire federal government across all agencies across entire presidencies when you look back in history. That’s how much of a mess it is that we inherited,” Zeldin said.