President Donald Trump moved to dismantle a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy Thursday, scrapping a 2009 Obama-era determination that empowered federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. The decision, announced alongside EPA administrator Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room, eliminates the legal foundation for decades of climate rules affecting vehicles, power plants, and oil facilities.
Legal Battles Ahead
Zeldin called the move the "largest act of deregulation in U.S. history," claiming it would save Americans over $1.3 trillion and reduce average vehicle costs by $2,400. Trump echoed this, stating, "This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory cost and help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically." The administration's claims hinge on projections that rolling back emissions standards would lower manufacturing costs and consumer prices.
The 2009 endangerment finding, issued under President Barack Obama, followed a 2007 Supreme Court ruling (EPA v. Massachusetts) that affirmed the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. That Act, passed in 1970, requires the EPA to control pollutants endangering public health or welfare. For decades, the agency exempted carbon dioxide and methane until the court compelled a review.
Democratic Backlash
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and all Senate Democrats have vowed to challenge the repeal. Newsom wrote Zeldin in September, warning, "You still have a choice: honor the law... or go down in history as the administration that abandoned its mission." Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, called the move "shortsighted," with lawsuits expected to reach the Supreme Court.
Trump has repeatedly criticized climate initiatives as a "scam," blaming them for rising costs. His administration argues the original endangerment finding overstepped federal authority. Former DOJ counsel Michael Buschbacher defended the move, stating, "The Trump administration is right on the law and the policy," though legal experts predict prolonged litigation.