Govind Tekale
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled a proposal on July 29, 2025, to rescind the agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” which established that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. This finding has served as the legal foundation for regulating climate-changing emissions for the past 16 years.
The proposal, if finalized, would eliminate all resulting greenhouse gas regulations for vehicles – from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks – and could limit the EPA’s authority to regulate emissions from power plants and other major sources.
“Repealing it will be the largest deregulatory action in the history of America,” Zeldin declared during a podcast appearance before announcing the proposal at an Indiana auto dealership.
The EPA’s announcement states the rollback would save Americans $54 billion annually and undo regulations costing over $1 trillion, including vehicle emissions standards and electric vehicle mandates.
The endangerment finding originated from a 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Following scientific review, the EPA in 2009 determined that six greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride – endanger public health and welfare.
This determination provided the legal basis for subsequent climate regulations, most notably emission standards for vehicles and power plants. The finding has withstood multiple legal challenges, with the U.S. Court of Appeals upholding it in 2012 and the Supreme Court declining to review the case in 2023.
The EPA’s new proposal argues the 2009 finding was legally flawed and cites “updated scientific data” from a 2025 Department of Energy study, claiming greenhouse gases “appear to be less damaging economically than commonly believed.”
Environmental groups have vowed to challenge the proposal. “By revoking this key scientific finding our government is putting fealty to Big Oil over sound science and people’s health,” said Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign.
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The EPA itself previously calculated that limiting emissions from cars and trucks would generate more than $2.1 trillion in benefits over 30 years, including $820 billion in fuel savings and $1.8 trillion in health and climate benefits.
Critics also point to increasing climate impacts. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows 2024 was the hottest year on record, with climate disasters costing $182 billion and causing 568 fatalities. Since 2010, the U.S. has experienced 246 billion-dollar disasters causing more than $1.7 trillion in damages and over 7,700 deaths.
The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from industry. While some manufacturers support the rollback, Ford stated America needs “a single, stable standard” that “aligns with science and customer choice, reduces carbon emissions by getting more stringent over time, and grows American manufacturing.”
The public will have opportunities to weigh in during hearings scheduled for August 19-20, with a possible additional session on August 21. The public comment period remains open until September 15.
Legal experts suggest overturning the endangerment finding faces significant hurdles. Richard Revesz, a law professor at New York University, said repealing it “is unlikely to hold up in court but the move will still affect U.S. climate policy until a final judicial decision is made.”
If successful, the proposal would mark a fundamental shift in U.S. climate policy, potentially limiting future administrations’ ability to address greenhouse gas emissions through regulatory action – essentially requiring Congress to pass new legislation for comprehensive climate action.
