The Trump administration on Thursday (February 12) revoked a long-standing scientific determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, dismantling a foundational pillar of US climate policy.
President Donald Trump announced the decision at the White House, calling into question the scientific basis of the original finding.
“This determination had no basis in fact whatsoever,” Trump said.
The rule, finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), rescinds the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a declaration issued during the Obama administration that concluded carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.
Legal backbone of climate regulations
The 2009 endangerment finding has served as the legal underpinning for nearly all federal climate regulations. It enabled the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, power plants, and other major pollution sources linked to global warming.
By overturning the finding, the administration removes the central legal justification for a broad range of climate rules enacted over the past decade and a half.
EPA defends move
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the decision, framing it as a rejection of what he described as burdensome and unnecessary climate mandates.
In addition to revoking the endangerment finding, Zeldin announced the administration would end what he referred to as the “Obama switch” — a feature in vehicles designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions when a car is idling.
“There will be no more climate participation trophies awarded to manufacturers for making America’s cars die at every red light and stop sign,” Zeldin said at the White House. “It’s over, done, finished.”
Zeldin referred to the fuel-saving technology as the “Obama switch,” signaling a broader effort to dismantle climate-related policies enacted under previous administrations.
