Team Trump sealed the Super Bowl win of deregulatory actions by finalizing the repeal of the “Endangerment Finding.”
Ridding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of this political document is a win for scientific truth, technical reality, and American’s pocketbooks. It will also boost President Donald Trump’s reindustrialization plans and usher in a promised win for jobseekers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and rural America.
For too long, the Endangerment Finding served as the legal pretext for bureaucratic hacks to meddle in every corner of our economy. Enacted under the Obama era, it provided the statutory hook under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and engines. EPA rightfully found that the agency lacks authority to impose such standards, effectively nullifying all greenhouse gas emission rules for light- and medium-duty cars, as well as heavy-duty trucks. In effect, the EV Mandate is dead.
The financial stakes are staggering. Rescinding the Finding and eliminating these standards will save Americans up to $54 billion annually over the next 30 years. That’s real money flowing back into households, reducing the cost of living for everything from groceries to gasoline.
Trucks deliver nearly every product we buy, and easing regulations on them means lower prices across the board. This action reinstates consumer choice, empowering families to select vehicles that work for them — whether it’s a reliable pickup for the farm or an SUV for the suburbs. No more forcing dealers to stockpile unsellable EVs while ignoring what the market demands.
But this isn’t just about legality or economics; it’s also about reclaiming scientific integrity from the clutches of politicized junk science. The last comprehensive review of climate data for regulatory purposes was in 2009—a lifetime ago in scientific terms. Since then, mountains of new data have emerged, scrutinized by experts, not just the Left’s hand-picked activists. From the accuracy of thermometer records to trends in precipitation and causes of sea level rise, reduced uncertainties paint a clear picture: There is no looming climate crisis justifying these expansive regulations.
The U.S. Energy Department (DOE) recently published a comprehensive report digging into these scientific questions and uncertainties. One of the chief authors included Steven Koonin, a scientist who served as the Secretary of DOE in the Obama Administration. He recently chastised the climate science community for not accurately representing the situation noting “the climate crisis was exaggerated with the consequence of society running down a rabbit hole of rapid decarbonization.”
The EPA meticulously reviewed thousands of public comments on these developments, building a rock-solid scientific, technical, and legal foundation for this repeal. Critics will howl that this move abandons environmental responsibility, but nothing could be further from the truth. Rescinding the Endangerment Finding frees the EPA to focus on its core mission: helping the states achieve tangible progress in clean air, clean water, and addressing legacy pollution. This approach will have an immediate, beneficial impact to public health and the environment. More broadly, technological innovations, not draconian mandates, have driven efficiencies in our energy systems. Focusing on this reality will continue to advance environmental goals without bankrupting the country.
Repealing the Endangerment Finding also aligns with recent legal shifts. The U.S. Supreme Court’s rollback of broad agency deference means the EV mandate and similar overreaches no longer pass muster. The EPA does not have the legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. If Congress had, they would have been very clear in giving that direction as they are not known for “hiding elephants in mouseholes.”
Many influential people built their reputations and businesses off the climate hysteria. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of this scheme were Democrat-aligned investors who relied on the government to force the use of unreliable, expensive technologies no one wanted. More sinister, other beneficiaries included China and Russia – countries that stood ready to reap financial and geopolitical wins from the U.S. committing economic suicide in the name of climate activism.
Recent reports found these foreign adversaries are some of the largest funders of climate activism in the U.S. As such, the fight is not over and will undoubtedly end up in court. But the administration is well prepared for this looming legal fight.
By dismantling the Endangerment Finding, Trump is not just rolling back red tape; he’s reigniting the engine of American prosperity that still runs on coal, oil, and natural gas. Ignore the aptly named “prophets of doom” and know that this action is not an assault on the environment—it’s a restoration of reality.
Mandy Gunasekara is an environmental attorney and served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in President Trump’s first term.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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