On February 12, 2026, the Trump administration officially repealed the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, which had determined that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare. The cost to future generations is incalculable, as a variety of rules that prevent global warming are now at risk.
President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the decision at the White House, calling it “the single largest deregulatory action in American history.” This repeal removes the main legal basis the federal government has used for 16 years to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Separate endangerment findings related to power plants and aircraft will be addressed in distinct rulemakings.
The Endangerment Finding came from the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which held that greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether they harm public health. In 2009, the EPA, under President Obama, found that six greenhouse gases pose a threat. This led to regulations on vehicle emissions, power plant carbon standards, methane controls for oil and gas, and required emissions reporting from about 8,000 industrial sites.
The Trump Administration’s Justification
The EPA’s final rule is based on two main points.
First, the agency argues that Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act does not give the EPA the authority to set motor vehicle emission standards to address global climate change. They believe only Congress can make such a big policy decision.
Second, the EPA under Trump and contradicting previous findings, says its own models show that even if all U.S. vehicle greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated, it would have “no material impact on global climate indicators through 2100,” so further regulation is not needed. Administrator Zeldin called the Finding “the Holy Grail of federal regulatory overreach” that “led to trillions of dollars in regulations that strangled entire sectors of the United States economy.”
The White House claims the repeal will save Americans $1.3 trillion, mostly by lowering vehicle costs by about $2,400 per car, SUV, or light truck. However, many critics point out that the Administration is ignoring proven benefits, from cleaner air that leads to fewer deaths from pollution to lower maintenance costs for EVs that more than offset the promised savings.
Widespread Criticism Meets The Ruling
The scientific community and environmental law organizations have responded with uniform condemnation and immediate litigation plans. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated in a September 2025 report that “the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused greenhouse gases is beyond scientific dispute.” The American Geophysical Union called the repeal “a rejection of established science, a denial of the struggles we are facing today, and a direct threat to our collective future.”
Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy called the action “reckless,” noting that EPA would “rather spend its time in court working for the fossil fuel industry than protecting us from pollution.” David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council characterized the repeal as a “kill shot” designed to invalidate virtually all federal climate regulations and prevent future administrations from reinstating them. Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen promised an immediate legal challenge, saying “there is no way to reconcile EPA’s decision with the law, the science, and the reality of disasters that are hitting us harder every year.”
Even the fossil fuel industry disagrees with the repeal. Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said that the organization supports keeping the Endangerment Finding for stationary sources and wants to continue federal methane regulation. This shows the repeal goes further than what some industry allies wanted. Michael Gerrard, who leads the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia, said the immediate impact may be limited because the Trump administration has already removed most greenhouse gas regulations. Still, he said the repeal “attempts to be the nail in the coffin” of federal climate authority.
Legal experts widely expect the repeal to face years of litigation and potentially return to the Supreme Court, where the five justices who formed the 2007 majority have all since died or retired. Meanwhile, state-level climate programs in California, Washington, Oregon, and participating states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative remain intact, as they derive their authority from state law rather than the federal Endangerment Finding.
Federal Programs and Regulations Now At Risk
A wide swath of environmental protection regulation is based on the Endangerment Finding. The following programs and regulations were authorized, either directly or indirectly, by the 2009 Endangerment Finding. Now that the finding has been revoked, each could be eliminated or lose its legal basis. Below is a sampling of the rules, regulations, and programs that can now be revoked by the Trump Administration.
Programs marked [indirect] have their own legal authority but depend on the Endangerment Finding’s science, data, or regulatory structure.
|
Program / Regulation
|
Agency
|
Impact to Date
|
|
Light-Duty Vehicle GHG Emission Standards (MY 2012–2026)
|
EPA / NHTSA |
Projected to avoid more than 3 billion tons of CO₂ through 2050 and save consumers $190 billion in net benefits, including 360 billion gallons of gasoline saved. Fleet-wide fuel economy improved from roughly 29 mpg to over 40 mpg (CO₂-equivalent).
|
| EPA |
The most stringent vehicle standards ever finalized, projected to cut 7 billion metric tons of GHG emissions over the lifetimes of vehicles sold and save consumers $6,000 per vehicle in fuel and maintenance. Revoked before taking effect.
|
|
|
Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Standards (Phase 1, 2 & 3; MY 2014–2032)
|
EPA / NHTSA |
Phase 1 projected to cut 270 million metric tons of CO₂. Phase 2 projected to cut an additional 1 billion tons and save $170 billion in fuel costs. Phase 3 projected to cut roughly 1 billion additional tons. Together, projected to save the average household $275/year by 2040 through lower goods-transportation costs.
|
|
CAFE Standards (GHG-harmonized components) [indirect]
|
NHTSA / DOT |
While CAFE has independent statutory authority under EPCA/EISA, EPA’s GHG standards were developed jointly with NHTSA since 2010 under a “one national program” framework. The Endangerment Finding made EPA’s complementary GHG standards possible, which drove more aggressive targets than CAFE alone. NHTSA has separately proposed rolling back CAFE standards.
|
|
Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants (Section 111 NSPS & Emission Guidelines)
|
EPA |
The 2024 standards were projected to deliver $390 billion in combined climate and health benefits and cut 617 million metric tons of CO₂ through 2042. Power plant GHG emissions fell 22% from 2011–2023 per GHGRP data. EPA has separately proposed repealing these standards. Note: Power plant GHG rules never fully took effect due to litigation.
|
|
Methane Standards for Oil & Gas Operations (NSPS OOOOb / EG OOOOc)
|
EPA |
Biden-era rules finalized in 2024 targeted methane—a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO₂ over 20 years—from new and existing oil and gas sources. The American Petroleum Institute supported continued federal methane regulation, noting leak detection helps companies capture saleable gas. Trump EPA has already delayed compliance deadlines.
|
|
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP, 40 CFR Part 98)
|
EPA |
Since 2010, more than 8,000 facilities reporting annually, covering 85–90% of total U.S. GHG emissions across 47 source categories. EPA has separately proposed ending reporting for nearly all sources. Critics warn the repeal will undermine state programs and EU CBAM compliance.
|
|
Aircraft GHG Emission Standards
|
EPA / FAA |
In 2016, EPA issued a separate endangerment finding for aircraft GHG emissions under Section 231 of the Clean Air Act. This finding is not directly rescinded by the February 2026 final rule, which addresses only Section 202(a) motor vehicle findings. However, the EPA is reconsidering this finding in a separate rulemaking. Resulting standards aligned with ICAO rules ensure worldwide acceptance of U.S.-manufactured aircraft.
|
|
Waste Emissions Charge (Methane Fee) (IRA/CAA Section 136) [indirect]
|
EPA |
Established by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to impose fees on excess methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas systems. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (July 2025) delayed implementation until 2034. While the fee has independent statutory authority, its data infrastructure depends on GHGRP Subpart W reporting, which faces suspension.
|
|
GHG Permitting Under Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD/“Tailoring Rule”)
|
EPA |
Following the Endangerment Finding, EPA required GHG emission permits for large new or modified industrial facilities under the Clean Air Act’s PSD program. The “Tailoring Rule” applied to facilities emitting 75,000+ tons of CO₂-equivalent annually. The Supreme Court narrowed but upheld GHG permitting in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA (2014). Repeal of the Endangerment Finding undermines the basis for including GHGs in permitting.
|
|
Social Cost of Carbon / GHG in NEPA Reviews [indirect]
|
OMB / All Federal Agencies |
The Endangerment Finding’s scientific conclusions informed the Interagency Working Group’s Social Cost of Carbon, used to monetize climate damages in cost-benefit analyses across federal rulemaking. Under Biden, agencies incorporated SC-GHG estimates into NEPA environmental reviews, budgets, and procurement. Trump’s January 2025 executive order disbanded the IWG and directed agencies to stop using SC-GHG metrics.
|
|
Federal Fleet Vehicle Procurement Standards [indirect]
|
EPA / GSA |
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act requires federal agencies to acquire low-GHG-emitting vehicles using EPA’s performance ratings. Without federal GHG emission benchmarks, the framework for green fleet procurement is undermined.
|
|
HFC Phasedown (AIM Act Technology Transitions) [indirect]
|
EPA |
The AIM Act of 2020 provides independent statutory authority for phasing down HFCs, projected to avoid 876 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent and deliver $4.5 billion in consumer savings. While not legally dependent on the Endangerment Finding, HFCs were among its six covered gases. The Trump EPA is separately reconsidering portions of the Technology Transitions rule.
|
|
California’s Clean Air Act Waiver (Section 209) [indirect]
|
EPA |
California’s authority to set its own vehicle emission standards, including GHG standards adopted by 17 other states representing ~40% of U.S. auto sales, operates under a separate Clean Air Act waiver. The Trump EPA has separately revoked this waiver. While legally distinct from the Endangerment Finding, without federal GHG standards as a floor, state standards face intensified preemption challenges.
|
The post Trump Administration Dismantles Federal Climate Regulations appeared first on Earth911.
- Source: https://earth911.com/business-policy/trump-administration-dismantles-federal-climate-regulations/
