August 15, 2025 – On July 29, 2025, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a proposal to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. This finding specifically states that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that are produced by vehicles and polluters are critically dangerous to human health. These and other greenhouse gases are considered air pollutants under the Clean Air Act (CAA) by the Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA (2007).
Simply put, the Supreme Court considered empirical scientific data on climate change when forming the Massachusetts opinion, not solely legal reasoning. This is a critical nuance as it considers the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases to be much more than a political ploy. As such, in 2007, the Court determined that the EPA has a legal duty to act because the emissions of greenhouse gases harm human health and fuel climate change. Today, Administrator Zeldin actively denies that climate change is an imminent danger to the American public. But, from disastrous floods to devastating wildfires, the immediate impacts of climate change pose a public health crisis right in front of our faces.
The “Climate Chaos Plan” to repeal the endangerment finding would not only give polluters a free pass, but would subject the general population to a significantly decreased quality of life. The proposed rescission is technically legal, but without the ability to formally recognize threatening pollutants for what they are, the EPA won’t have authority to regulate them under the CAA. This is an outright denial of critical scientific data compiled by esteemed scientists around the globe. Trump and Zeldin’s plan ignores basic pillars of human health and the ongoing climate crisis, all to ensure polluting facilities stay in business. If passed, this “Climate Chaos Plan” will ultimately allow the fossil fuel industry to emit greenhouse gases at mass rates, putting the general population at further risk. These risks include more respiratory illness (both chronic and acute), catastrophic wildfires, and disease-carrying insects, as well as less safe drinking water.
Trump and Zeldin’s plan drastically contradicts the EPA’s core purpose. Where the goal once was to protect the public from climate change, the current administration has manipulated the narrative. Stripping away cornerstone protections on public health and climate change to allegedly save a quick buck is not in the best interest of the population nor the environment. The plan will not provide the economic opportunity it alleges. Instead, it will drive up the costs of everyday goods, healthcare, and energy.
Your health should not be up for debate. Take action today to protect your family’s future from the “Climate Chaos Plan.” The EPA is holding mandatory public comment hearings on the proposed rule on August 19 and 20, 2025, and a potential additional session on August 21, 2025. To register, email EPA-MobileSource-Hearings@epa.gov. The public comment period for written comments ends on September 15, 2025.
