Trump EPA To Repeal Bedrock Climate Finding In ‘Largest Deregulatory Action’ In U.S. History
The Trump administration is preparing to strike a major blow against Obama-era climate regulations this week by repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” a legal pillar that justified federal greenhouse gas regulations. The announcement is expected to be made Thursday by President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
“This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It will save the American people $1.3 trillion in crushing regulations.” She added that families will see direct benefits, including more than $2,400 in projected savings per vehicle for popular light-duty cars, SUVs, and trucks.
The move targets regulations stemming from the endangerment finding, which had declared carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases a danger to public health. That finding became the foundation for sweeping emissions rules across the transportation, energy, and manufacturing sectors.
Zeldin has been vocal about his intent to dismantle what he calls “the climate change religion.” In July, he previewed the effort as part of a broader campaign to restore consumer choice and economic freedom. “We’re driving a dagger into the heart of it,” Zeldin said at the time.
The immediate effect of the new rule will be the repeal of emissions standards for motor vehicles, along with the rollback of compliance programs and mandatory reporting for industry. While the rule will not yet touch power plant regulations, it will open the legal door for further repeals.
Environmental groups have signaled that legal challenges are coming. The Sierra Club blasted the move, accusing the administration of trying to “wish away” the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, which confirmed that the Clean Air Act covers greenhouse gases. “They’re tossing out science and law in one fell swoop,” the group said in a statement.
Still, administration officials insist the repeal is well within the agency’s authority and say it is essential to bringing down the cost of living for American families. “This is about restoring sanity to environmental policy,” said one senior official involved in the rule’s development.
Thursday’s event will cap off a series of climate-related rollbacks initiated under Trump’s second term. In 2025, the administration ended the federal electric vehicle tax credit as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which also repealed several provisions of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. That same year, Zeldin announced dozens of actions aimed at eliminating what he called “trillions in hidden taxes.”
With the endangerment finding now on the chopping block, the Trump administration is set to reshape environmental law for decades to come—sparking celebration on the Right and a legal firestorm from the Left.