EPA repeals legal basis for all climate regulation

The EPA finalized repeal of its 2009 endangerment finding on Feb. 12, 2026. The finding determined that six greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride, threaten public health and welfare. The finding has been the legal basis for federal climate regulation under the Clean Air Act since 2009. It underpinned emissions standards for motor vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas facilities.

EPA Administrator LZLee Zeldin said the repeal is the single largest deregulatory action in American history. He claimed the endangerment finding was the holy grail of federal regulatory overreach and has cost Americans trillions of dollars in hidden costs. Zeldin said Congress never voted for climate mandates, so EPA shouldn't be implementing them. The EPA claimed the decision restores consumer choice and makes more affordable vehicles available.

President Trump called the endangerment finding one of the greatest scams in history and claimed falsely that it had no basis in fact or law. Trump said fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty. He said repealing the regulations has nothing to do with public health. The White House press secretary claimed the repeal will save Americans $1.3 trillion in crushing regulations.

The endangerment finding was based on a 2007 Supreme Court ruling in 🏛️Massachusetts v. EPA. The Court ruled that EPA has authority to regulate heat-trapping greenhouse gases and acknowledged that harms associated with climate change are serious and well recognized. The Obama administration issued the endangerment finding two years later after reviewing extensive scientific evidence. The National Academies of Sciences issued a report concluding the finding was accurate and stood the test of time.

The repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light trucks. The EPA also proposed a two-year delay to Biden-era rules restricting greenhouse gas emissions by vehicles. The agency will end incentives for automakers who install automatic start-stop ignition systems. Zeldin said everyone hates the device intended to reduce emissions. The transportation sector is the largest contributor of direct greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with cars and trucks accounting for over 75% of those emissions.

Environmental groups called the repeal the single biggest attack in U.S. history on federal authority to address climate change. The Sierra Club said Trump formalized climate denialism as official government policy. FKFred Krupp of Environmental Defense Fund said the action will lead to more climate pollution and higher costs for American families, affecting health, property values, and water supply. DLDr. Lisa Patel said the repeal prioritizes oil and gas company profits over children's health and will lead to more asthma attacks and premature births.

Former President Barack Obama said the repeal makes Americans less safe, less healthy, and less able to fight climate change, all so the fossil fuel industry can make more money. A group of 85 climate scientists submitted a rebuttal calling a DOE report supporting repeal pervasive with misrepresentation and not meeting standards of quality appropriate for policy making. The American Geophysical Union said the decision is a rejection of established science, a denial of current struggles, and a direct threat to our collective future. The past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record according to Copernicus data.