"On February 12, 2026, the Trump administration officially repealed the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 Endangerment Finding, which had determined that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare.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.""
"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 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."
On February 12, 2026, the Trump administration repealed the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding that designated greenhouse gases as threats to public health and welfare. The repeal removes the main legal basis used for 16 years to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The 2009 finding led to vehicle emissions standards, power plant carbon rules, methane controls for oil and gas, and emissions reporting from about 8,000 industrial sites. The EPA justified the repeal by arguing Section 202(a) lacks authority for vehicle greenhouse gas standards and that eliminating U.S. vehicle emissions would have no material global impact through 2100.
Read at Earth911
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