In a major victory for his administration, President Trump is celebrating the repeal of the Obama-era "endangerment finding" - the scientific determination that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. This move, described as the "largest deregulatory action in American history", effectively guts the legal foundation for federal climate regulations under the Clean Air Act.
A Triumph for Fossil Fuels
What this really means is that the Trump administration has delivered a devastating blow to efforts to address the climate crisis. By overturning this key policy, they have stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to limit emissions from power plants, vehicles, and other major sources. The Washington Post reports that this rollback is a "victory for the fossil-fuel industry" which has long pushed back against climate regulations.
Leaving the Climate Unprotected
The bigger picture here is that this move leaves the United States increasingly vulnerable to the growing threats of climate change - from deadly heat waves and catastrophic wildfires to intensifying storms and sea level rise. Livemint notes that the repeal "could open up the door to rolling back regulations" affecting power plants, oil and gas facilities, and other major emitters. Environmental groups have vowed to challenge this in court, but the damage to climate policy is already done.
As E&E News reports, the White House is framing this as a win for "energy and deregulation", touting it as a way to save Americans $1.3 trillion in "crushing regulations". But at what cost to our planet and our future? This may be Trump's biggest environmental rollback yet, and a major setback in the fight against climate change.