The Trump administration is moving to cancel the foundation of U.S. climate regulations by repealing the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which has enabled sweeping rules across industries.
If successful, the move could dismantle federal mandates for electric vehicles, power plant restrictions, and more.
Key Facts:
- The EPA, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, plans to revoke the 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases.
- This finding is the legal basis for federal regulations targeting emissions from vehicles, power plants, and oil operations.
- The Biden administration used it to push aggressive electric vehicle mandates and other green energy policies.
- Repealing the finding could eliminate over $1 trillion in regulatory burdens tied to vehicle emissions alone.
- Environmental groups are opposing the move, warning of lawsuits and climate consequences.
The Rest of The Story:
The Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump is aiming to remove the legal underpinning that has supported major federal climate regulations for over a decade.
The 2009 endangerment finding, created under the Obama administration, allows the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide and methane.
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA chief, announced the initiative on the “Ruthless” podcast, saying, “This will basically drive a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion.”
Zeldin argues the finding has allowed the federal government to “regulate segments of the U.S. economy out of existence.”
The move could undo Biden-era mandates requiring automakers to sell more electric vehicles and reverse rules on coal-fired power plants and methane emissions.
It would also limit the EPA’s role in overseeing broad swaths of the economy under the guise of climate control.
Former EPA officials say this change strikes at the very core of federal climate regulation.
“It is the activating document to the entirety of our substantive greenhouse gas regulations,” said Mandy Gunasekara, a former EPA chief of staff.
Without it, the legal foundation for much of the government’s climate agenda collapses.
The policy traces back to the Clean Air Act of the 1970s.
After a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the EPA was compelled to determine whether greenhouse gases endangered public health.
The Obama EPA said they did—triggering over a decade of rules and restrictions, which the Trump team now seeks to unravel.
From fixing gas can flows to ending the hated start/stop feature in cars, and from deregulating trillions of dollars of rules to solving decades-old cross border raw sewage flows from Tijuana, the Trump EPA spends ALL DAY, EVERY DAY delivering on the Trump Mandate the American… pic.twitter.com/3UQWX23y0G
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) July 30, 2025
Commentary:
This is a strong, overdue correction to an overreaching bureaucracy.
The endangerment finding has been used for years as a blank check for Washington regulators to expand their control over energy, transportation, and manufacturing.
By rescinding this finding, the Trump administration would remove a key legal weapon used to enforce costly and burdensome climate mandates—mandates that have hurt consumers, automakers, and energy producers alike.
These rules have driven up costs, reduced energy options, and padded green tech industries at taxpayer expense.
The estimated $1 trillion cost tied to vehicle emissions rules alone is staggering.
That money could have stayed in the pockets of working Americans or been invested in actual innovation—not subsidies and forced compliance.
Critics claim this move invites environmental disaster.
But the reality is, fossil fuels still power more than 80% of the U.S. economy.
Targeting these sources while ignoring their role in energy reliability, jobs, and national security is reckless.
Lee Zeldin’s leadership here is critical.
His clear-eyed view that the EPA has been weaponized to “regulate segments of the economy out of existence” reflects the frustration of millions of Americans who’ve seen their industries vilified and regulated into decline.
Opponents promise legal challenges.
But as DOJ veteran Michael Buschbacher notes, this team is well-equipped to withstand them.
If done properly, this could reset the balance between environmental goals and economic freedom for years to come.
The idea that “if they get rid of the endangerment finding, then the rationale for all federal action on climate kind of goes away,” as Steve Milloy put it, is exactly why this step matters.
It pulls the plug on an agenda that puts ideology ahead of results.
This isn’t about denying science—it’s about rejecting federal overreach.
It’s about defending the American economy from misguided climate crusades and restoring decision-making to the states and the people.
The Bottom Line:
The Trump EPA’s plan to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding could dismantle the legal foundation of federal climate mandates.
By removing this cornerstone, the administration aims to reduce regulatory burdens, boost energy independence, and roll back government control.
Opponents are gearing up for legal fights, but supporters argue this is a critical step toward economic freedom.
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