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Exclusive: EPA Administrator to Overhaul Obama-Era Finding on Greenhouse Gases, in Major Deregulatory Move
Zeldin described the move as a cost-cutting initiative to rid the agency of burdensome rules and regulations that have upped the cost of energy on households.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, in coordination with several other agencies, announced Wednesday that he is overhauling the “Endangerment Finding,” a 2009 rule signed by Barack Obama’s EPA administrator Lisa Jackson that declared greenhouse gases constitute a threat to public health and human welfare under the Clean Air Act.
The agency’s reconsideration of the Obama-era finding will involve a massive overhaul of the regulations that fall under this rule, including vehicle emissions rules, National Review first reported.
The major deregulatory move comes after President Trump signed an “Unleashing American Energy” executive order recommending reconsideration of the rule, along with a suite of other executive actions to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords and end subsidies for electric vehicles.
Zeldin’s decision to upend the Endangerment Finding will also involve a wide-ranging reconsideration of climate-related rules, including regulations governing wastewater in coal plants, mercury and toxic air standards, vehicle emissions standards, the pace of state permit reviews, and the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The EPA will also overhaul the “Social Cost of Carbon,” a metric used under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden to weigh the costs and benefits of carbon dioxide pollution on the economy.
NEWS: Here’s a list of regulatory overhauls that EPA Administrator @epaleezeldin is announcing today, @NRO has learned. EPA will reconsider rules regulating vehicle emissions, mercury & toxic air standards, oil & gas industry, wastewater for coal power plants, & much more: https://t.co/EELwDKW15L pic.twitter.com/7YQyPEoOjR
— Audrey Fahlberg (@AudreyFahlberg) March 12, 2025
In a statement first shared with National Review, Zeldin described the move as geared toward ridding the agency of burdensome rules and regulations that have upped the cost of energy on American households.
“The Trump Administration will not sacrifice national prosperity, energy security, and the freedom of our people for an agenda that throttles our industries, our mobility, and our consumer choice while benefiting adversaries overseas,” Zeldin said in a statement. “We will follow the science, the law, and common sense wherever it leads, and we will do so while advancing our commitment towards helping to deliver cleaner, healthier, and safer air, land, and water.”
This post has been updated with new information.