The Trump administration is launching a sweeping effort to roll back decades of environmental regulations, targeting air quality standards and emissions rules, as well as climate policies that have governed U.S. industries.
Miranda Willson, Sean Reilly, Robin Bravender, and Mike Lee report for E&E News.
In short:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under administrator Lee Zeldin, is reconsidering dozens of regulations, including the 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, which underpins current climate policies.
- Other targets include air pollution limits, rules restricting coal ash contamination, and Biden-era vehicle emissions standards aimed at boosting electric and hybrid car adoption.
- Environmental advocates and Democratic lawmakers vow legal challenges, warning that these rollbacks could have severe health and climate consequences.
Key quote:
Reconsideration of the endangerment finding “is a despicable betrayal of the American people…[it] will have swift and catastrophic ramifications for the environment and health of all Americans.”
— Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), House Energy and Commerce Committee
Why this matters:
The Trump administration’s latest EPA overhaul is a gut punch to decades of environmental safeguards, and a significant step toward completely redefining the purpose of the agency. Under Zeldin, the Trump administration’s EPA is taking a wrecking ball to emissions rules, air quality protections, and even the legal backbone of U.S. climate policy. If they succeed, they won’t just be unraveling Biden-era policies — they’ll be reaching back to undo the fundamental science-based regulations that have supported public health by keeping air and water cleaner for decades.
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