Latest news with #Zeldin
Reuters
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Trump's EPA targets key health ruling underpinning all US greenhouse gas rules
WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Tuesday it will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the legal foundation for all U.S. greenhouse gas regulations. If finalized, the repeal would end current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicle tailpipes, power plants, smokestacks and other sources, and hamper future U.S. efforts to combat global warming. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency's plan to rescind the "endangerment finding" at an event at a car dealership in Indiana, alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and called it the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history. The proposal, which needs to undergo a public comment period, would cut $54 billion in costs annually through the repeal of all greenhouse gas standards, including the vehicle tailpipe standard, he said. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA said the tailpipe rules through 2032 would avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions as it prodded automakers to build more EVs and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society including $62 billion in reduced fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers. Environmental groups blasted the move, saying it spells the end of the road for U.S. action against climate change, even as the impacts of global warming become more severe. "With today's announcement, the EPA is telling us in no uncertain terms that U.S. efforts to address climate change are over. For the industries that contribute most to climate change, the message is 'pollute more.' For everyone feeling the pain of climate disasters, the message is 'you're on our own,'" said Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice. The move is expected to trigger legal challenges, according to several environmental groups, states and lawyers. Zeldin said a 2024 Supreme Court decision that reduced the power of federal agencies to interpret the laws they administer, known as the Chevron deference, means that the EPA does not have the ability to regulate greenhouse gases. "We do not have that power on our own to decide as an agency that we are going to combat global climate change because we give ourselves that power," Zeldin said. He added that if Congress decides it wants to amend the federal Clean Air Act to explicitly state the U.S. should regulate carbon dioxide, methane and other planet-warming gases, the EPA would follow its lead. The endangerment finding's roots date back to 2009, when the EPA under former Democratic President Barack Obama issued a finding that emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to pollution and endanger public health and welfare. That assessment followed a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision in its landmark Massachusetts v. EPA case that said the EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and required the agency to make a scientific finding on whether those emissions endanger public health. The endangerment finding was upheld in several legal challenges and underpinned subsequent greenhouse gas regulations, ranging from tailpipe standards for vehicles, carbon dioxide standards for aircraft, and methane standards for oil and gas operations. Zeldin and Wright challenged the global scientific consensus on climate change that global warming and its impacts have since been unfolding faster than expected and that policymakers need to step up action to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. They also contradict the advisory opinion issued last week by the International Court of Justice, which said failure by governments to reduce emissions could be an internationally wrongful act, and found that treaties such as the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change should be considered legally binding. The administration has already dismissed all authors of the U.S. National Climate Assessment, which detailed climate change impacts across the country. "Now the public is open to engage in a thoughtful dialogue about what is climate change? It is a real physical phenomenon. It's worthy of study. It's worthy of even some action, but what we have done instead is nothing related to the actual science of climate change or pragmatic ways to make progress," Wright said. Zeldin said on a podcast earlier Tuesday that the endangerment finding never acknowledged "any benefit or need for carbon dioxide." Industry reaction was limited on Tuesday, with some trade groups weighing in and some companies remaining quiet. American Trucking Associations welcomed the announcement, saying that Biden-era vehicle emissions standards "put the trucking industry on a path to economic ruin and would have crippled our supply chain," said its president, Chris Spear. Ford (F.N), opens new tab said in a statement that Biden-created tailpipe standards did "not align with the market," and America needs "a single, stable standard to foster business planning." "The standard should align with science and customer choice, reduce carbon emissions by getting more stringent over time, and grow American manufacturing," Ford said. Other automakers Toyota (7203.T), opens new tab, GM (GM.N), opens new tab, Stellantis ( opens new tab declined to comment. Marty Durbin, president of the Global Energy Institute at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said it welcomed the administration's focus on affordable energy but said it is still weighing the proposal. "While we did not call for this proposal, we are reviewing it and will consult with members so we can provide constructive feedback to the agency,' he said. California Air Resources Board chair Liane Randolph said the EPA move chooses "polluter fantasyland over proven science. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the planet continues to suffer the consequences of unchecked carbon pollution."
The Drive
an hour ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
EPA's Move to Trash Car Emission Regulations Has SEMA Thrilled, Automakers Cheering 'Vehicle Choice'
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The United States Environmental Protection Agency will be effectively canceling its legal authority to limit carbon emissions from the automotive industry, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Tuesday. Zeldin said that he is officially planning to a key 2009 declaration that asserted that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health and legally authorized the agency to regulate them. If finalized, this would erase the set limits on emissions from passenger cars and trucks, potentially alter the entire new car industry, and mark a huge shift for the aftermarket. Zeldin teased the news while being interviewed on the Ruthless podcast, and later delivered a statement at an Indianapolis truck dealer. He said that it could 'amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.' It's hard to argue that. 'With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end 16 years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,' Zeldin said. 'In our work so far, many stakeholders have told me that the Obama and Biden EPAs twisted the law, ignored precedent, and warped science to achieve their preferred ends and stick American families with hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year. We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA's GHG emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide which the Finding never assessed independently, was the real threat to Americans' livelihoods. If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families.' This is big news, both for automotive manufacturers and third parties that develop performance parts. Caleb Jacobs Caleb Jacobs I reached out to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, or SEMA, for comment on the EPA's plan. By and large, it's pretty thrilled. That's not surprising since some of the companies SEMA represents have had their fair share of conflict regarding government enforcement of the Clean Air Act, and it's vocally opposed electric vehicle production mandates that stem from emissions targets set by the EPA. 'For years, we've witnessed firsthand the damage inflicted by the so-called 'endangerment' finding of 2009, including its brazen use by the EPA under previous administrations and by California to mandate the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) and ban the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles,' a statement from SEMA reads. 'ICE vehicles remain the bedrock upon which the American people—families, small businesses, and automotive enthusiasts—rely to live their best, most prosperous lives, and to ban them is an affront to the American way of life. 'SEMA thanks Administrator Zeldin and the Trump Administration for pursuing common-sense reforms that prioritize the American people and our nation's economy. This announcement marks a significant policy shift that preserves vehicle choice and strikes a blow to the coordinated, nationwide efforts of unelected activist policymakers and environmental groups to dictate the kinds of vehicles Americans can drive.' I also contacted the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automakers like BMW, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen, and more. The organization's president and CEO John Bozzella had the following to say: 'We're reviewing today's announcement covering the endangerment finding to understand what it means for U.S. vehicle emissions rules going forward. At the same time, there's no question the vehicle emissions regulations finalized under the previous administration aren't achievable and should be revised to reflect current market conditions, to keep the auto industry in America competitive, and to keep the industry on a path of vehicle choice and lower emissions.' If you've been paying attention, 'vehicle choice' or 'customer choice' has become the industry's preferred euphemism for 'We want to keep making gas-powered cars because that's what sells and we're losing our shirts on EVs.' While I don't doubt that at least some of the folks running major automakers truly believe they need to develop all-electric lineups for the good of the planet, these are massive corporations. The only way they're going to choose a money-losing path, like spending billions for decade to figure out affordable EVs or a real fast-charging network, is if they're forced to. And the American market is still incredibly important to all the big ones, especially as China's market favors its own products and their global EV efforts are taking sales from everyone everywhere else. One interesting possibility: what if this brings a surge in hybrid powertrains, as companies redirect electrification resources and know-how into a technology many consumers want and makes them money? That feels more likely than a parade of new naturally-aspirated V8 models, honestly. And given the fact that a different administration could change course again in just four years, that timeline isn't enough for automakers to make long-term changes. Probably the most immediate impact is that we'll see some cars that were scheduled to end production soon get their lives extended. Either way, if the EPA is really telling automakers it can do whatever it wants, even for a little while, this is going to get weird. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Sky News AU
EPA chief Lee Zeldin to repeal ‘holy grail' Obama-era emissions finding that hiked energy costs for years
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is moving to repeal an Obama-era emissions finding he once dubbed the 'holy grail of the climate change religion' that underpinned $1 trillion in regulations — leading to higher energy costs for more than a decade. Zeldin revealed plans to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding during a speech at an Indianapolis auto dealership on Tuesday, promising to 'end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers' with 'the largest deregulatory announcement in US history.' 'In our work so far, many stakeholders have told me that the Obama and Biden EPAs twisted the law, ignored precedent, and warped science to achieve their preferred ends and stick American families with hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year,' said the former Long Island congressman. 'We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA's GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide — which the Finding never assessed independently — was the real threat to Americans' livelihoods,' Zeldin went on. 'If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families.' The EPA has projected that rescinding the finding could save American consumers alone up to $54 billion in annual costs. Under Obama, the EPA determined that carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride emissions, primarily from cars, were threatening to the 'public health and welfare of current and future generations.' No immediate regulations were imposed but the finding allowed the 44th president's administration to put forward seven subsequent rules affecting the auto industry, as well as others touching on energy issues. Zeldin's proposal would scrap the finding that allowed both Obama's and former President Joe Biden's EPA to regulate emissions by vehicles that are light-, medium- and heavy-duty as well as those with heavy-duty engines under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. The rules began taking effect for light-duty vehicles — including cars, vans, SUVs and pickup trucks — in 2010 but later ramped up to cover all models. Biden used it to justify his push for mass production of electric vehicles during his administration. 'This electric-truck mandate put the trucking industry on a path to economic ruin and would have crippled our supply chain, disrupted deliveries, and raised prices for American families and businesses,' said American Trucking Association President Chris Spear, who joined Zeldin at the event alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Braun. 'Moreover, it kicked innovation to the curb by discarding available technologies that can further drive down emissions at a fraction of the cost.' Democrats in Congress panned the move, with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, telling Politico it amounted to 'a despicable betrayal of the American people.' 'President Trump and his EPA administrator are now pretending that climate pollution does not endanger human health or the environment — not because there is any scientific justification, but because it helps line the pockets of their billionaire corporate polluter friends,' Pallone said. The reversal comes as Zeldin is seeking to cut red tape for other energy-related issues. Several recent US Supreme Court cases have aided Trump's EPA leader in limiting the agency's regulatory authority — including scrapping emissions standards that controlled coal and gas power plants generating electricity. The White House Office of Management and Budget is also planning on addressing rescission of the Obama-era finding at other agencies. 'Since the Obama EPA illegally issued its unconstitutional endangerment finding in 2009, more than half of the US coal industry has been destroyed, electricity prices have soared, and the average price of cars has almost doubled,' said Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and an adviser to Trump's EPA transition team. 'Where do wrongly terminated coal miners, wrecked coal industry-dependent communities and ripped-off consumers go for redress of the injuries inflicted by a climate-hoaxed crazed federal government?' Originally published as EPA chief Lee Zeldin to repeal 'holy grail' Obama-era emissions finding that hiked energy costs for years
New York Post
an hour ago
- Automotive
- New York Post
Axing EPA's ‘endangerment' BS will unleash a new era of US prosperity
Hooray for President Donald Trump and EPA chief Lee Zeldin for moving to roll back trillions of dollars in federal mandates by undoing the Obama-era greenhouse-gas 'endangerment' finding. Back in 2009, Environmental Protection Agency functionaries listed carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as posing a public-health threat — not for any actual toxicity, but because of their role in speeding global warming. That in turn allowed for unprecedented EPA regulation of factories, power plants and auto emissions — including the hated stop-start feature. None of it ever made sense: Congress created the EPA in 1970 to fight actual poisons in our water and air, not to manage complex bank-shot contingencies as the 'endangerment' finding envisioned. After long teasing the repeal, Zeldin finally made the 'largest deregulatory action in the history of America' official Tuesday; it'll be a huge win for energy sanity. After all, anti-carbon mandates do major immediate harm to public health, by making electricity and other goods far more expensive: This green madness is a major reason why Western Europe has seen next to zero economic growth over the last two decades. And much of it makes little sense even as anti-climate-change policy: The EPA itself admits that the vehicle stop-start feature — which kills internal-combustion engines at red lights — hasn't shown clear reductions in emissions. Yes, cutting carbon emissions is an important long-term goal — but trying to make them zero immediately is nuts, especially when China is still building new coal plants at a record pace. The nation (and the world!) is far better served by Trump's drive to boost US energy production and ensure a plentiful and reliable supply of cheaper electricity to meet the growing demands of manufacturers and AI companies. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters For all progressives' current talk of 'affordability,' energy costs remain by far the single most important issue when it comes to improving public health and quality of life. But the anti-carbon cult has a death grip on the elites who set the Democratic agenda; expect a vast wave of propaganda posing as news and invective pretending to be science in response to Zeldin's move. Lawsuits, as well — since Democrats snuck language declaring greenhouse gases to be 'pollutants' into the utterly mislabeled 'Inflation Reduction Act' three years ago. Republicans in Congress need to put rolling back that absurdity high on their agenda when Congress reconvenes in the fall.
DW
an hour ago
- Automotive
- DW
US: EPA moves to gut environmental oversight – DW – 07/30/2025
The Trump administration has moved to scrap emissions regulations by arguing the EPA has no oversight authority. The agency's boss announced this and laxer emissions standards while at a truck factory. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Lee Zeldin on Tuesday argued that his agency does not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Zeldin said a key 2009 scientific assessment of the dangers of greenhouse gases that underpins the federal government's legal authority and responsibility to regulate emissions — known as the "endangerment finding" — was based on flawed reasoning. Zeldin further asserted that the Supreme Court's 2024 "Chevron deference" ruling meant the authority to regulate vehicle and energy emissions lies with Congress, not the EPA. "We do not have that power on our own to decide as an agency that we are going to combat global climate change because we give ourselves that power," he said. The EPA director said onerous environmental regulations have created a massive drag on the US economy and promised the government would slash emissions standards. "If finalized, today's announcement would amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States," he said in remarks delivered at the Kenworth Truck Factory in Indianapolis, Indiana. Standing alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright — a former gas industry fracking exec — New York Republican Zeldin accused previous Democratic administrations of producing an ideological assessment of the health threats posed by greenhouse gases. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video An EPA press statement on the subject claimed that the Obama and Biden administrations had both used the finding "to justify over $1 trillion in regulations." At the same time, the statement claimed the move to scrap the endangerment finding would save $54 billion annually. No evidence was provided to back the claims. The endangerment finding was a peer-reviewed assessment based on scientific consensus that followed the Supreme Court's landmark case in 2007. At the time, the court ruled that the Clean Air Act, which regulates air quality, gave the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and ordered the administration to determine whether these endangered public health. Zeldin said the repeal of the endangerment finding would do away with electric vehicle mandates and drive "a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion." The move is certain to face legal challenges and the administration will expect the Supreme Court to overturn its 2007 decision and rule in its favor when the case inevitably makes its way there. Dan Becker of the US-based environmental NGO Center for Biological Diversity told AFP news agency that it is unique for the government itself to be arguing against stricter regulation, not industry. Becker said he hoped the court will "recognize that this is science and not politics." "There was a good reason for that [2007] precedent and no good reason to revoke it," he said. "But ... this is a very political court," he added. The proposed change will be subject to a 45-day public comment period. Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has again withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement and forged ahead with the promise to massively expand the country's fossil fuel industries. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
