The Trump Administration may soon do away with a major scientific finding that has been the basis for hundreds of billions in government spending on climate change.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin is reportedly lobbying for the White House to strike down the ‘endangerment finding,’ a 2009 scientific conclusion which found that gases leading to global warming pose a threat to public health and welfare.
The finding has served as the justification for government regulations limiting the emission of greenhouse gases since the Obama presidency.
According to three anonymous sources who spoke with the Washington Post, Zeldin has recommended that President Trump repeal the endangerment finding – clearing the way for the undoing of countless climate regulations now in place throughout America.
Both the Obama and Biden Administrations used this 2009 ruling to impose new limits on the emissions produced by cars, factories, and power plants.
However, government spending watchdogs have detailed how much money this has cost taxpayers, with lawmakers imposing costly new rules on American companies while also handing out billions in grants and subsidies to climate-focused initiatives.
In the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 alone, nearly $400 billion over the next decade was ticketed for slashing carbon emissions.
Just two years later, the American Action Forum calculated that the EPA’s newest tailpipe emissions rule would cost $870 billion over a two decade period.
The Trump Administration is reportedly considering rolling back federal climate regulations, starting with the ‘endangerment finding’ of 2009
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has reportedly lobbied to strike down the scientific finding so the White House can more easily repeal regulations which fight climate change
Conservatives have argued that the government’s strict regulations aimed at combating climate change have harmed the country financially, burdening both consumers and manufacturers with higher costs to meet federal emissions standards.
Tom Pyle, president of the oil and gas advocacy group American Energy Alliance, told the Washington Post, ‘They unfortunately didn’t do this in the first term, so I’m pleased to see that they’re working on this in the second term.’
Conversely, supporters of the reforms have cited the benefits of stronger regulations, including improvements to public health and contributing the worldwide effort of slowing climate change.
Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, argued, ‘Americans are already suffering devastating impacts from the climate pollution that is fueling worsening disasters like heat waves and floods, more intense fires and hurricanes, and dangerous smog levels.’
‘Such an effort would be reckless, unlawful, and ignore EPA’s fundamental responsibility to protect Americans from destructive climate pollution. We will vigorously oppose it,’ she added in a statement.
Climate advocates have blamed climate change for recent natural disasters, including the wildfires in Los Angeles
The seemingly impending rollback on US climate regulations has been in the works for over a month.
On President Trump’s first day of his second term, he signed an executive order authorizing Zeldin to review the ‘legality and continuing applicability of’ the endangerment finding.
It was part of the administration’s ‘Unleashing American Energy’ directive which tasked the federal government with finding and eliminating obstacles to the production of oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, and nuclear energy.
EPA spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou did not comment on the report, but did say that the agency was complying with the January 20 executive order.
Earlier this month, the Trump Administration notified more than 1,100 EPA employees that they could be dismissed ‘immediately’ at any time.
That group included scientists and experts who research and enforce policies related to air pollution, hazardous waste cleanup, and environmental emergency response.
Members of two influential EPA advisory committees which provide scientific guidance to the head of the agency were ousted in January.
This month, the administration reportedly refused to allow federal scientists and diplomats to attend a major climate change conference in China scheduled for March.
David Uhlmann, who led EPA enforcement during the Biden presidency, said that ‘when viewed alongside everything else taking place, [the changes] are yet another unfortunate attack on public servants who have dedicated their careers to public health and environmental protection.’
President Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025 ordering the government to seek out regulations which slow down the production of oil and natural gas
Zeldin previously launched an unsuccessful bid to become governor of New York, Trump’s former home state, before becoming EPA chief
Myron Ebell, the leader of Trump’s EPA transition team during the president’s first term, noted that striking down the endangerment finding would likely make overturning Joe Biden’s climate policies a smoother process.
‘If you want to go back and redo one of these rules, you’re going to have a very spirited court battle if you ignore the endangerment finding,’ Ebell said. ‘So I think they really need to do this.’
However, Sean Donahue, an attorney for environmental groups which support the endangerment finding, believes any effort to repeal the 2009 scientific finding would be struck down in court.
The Environmental Defense Fund sent a 10-page letter to Zeldin last week noting that the endangerment finding has already survived multiple court cases over the years.
In 2007, the US Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
