U.S. President Donald Trump has effectively dismantled a key pillar of American climate protection. On Thursday he revoked the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse‑gas pollution.
In 2009, an EPA assessment identified six greenhouse gases as hazardous to public health and granted the agency the power to limit emissions from the oil‑and‑gas sector, power plants and automobiles. Those “Endangerment Findings” have now been officially withdrawn.
The move is expected to spark a prolonged legal battle. Trump called the previous regulatory regime “catastrophic” and also announced the repeal of vehicle‑emission rules that had been derived from the same Endangerment Findings. While President Joe Biden’s administration was pushing to tighten those standards and encourage the auto industry to shift toward greener vehicles, the Trump administration is rolling back those measures.
