Following the hottest summer on record and a United Nations report highlighting rising climate risks, the Trump administration has repealed a significant Biden-era rule aimed at reducing climate pollution from power plants, the second-largest source of greenhouse gases.
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a plan to dismantle the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, arguing that the requirements exceed the agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act. The EPA also suggested scrapping all remaining greenhouse gas emissions requirements for power plants, claiming these emissions have no significant climate impact.
The intent to revoke the Carbon Pollution Standards was initially announced last spring.
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases fall under the Clean Air Act’s definition of air pollutants. If deemed hazardous, the EPA must work to reduce emissions. The agency identified greenhouse gases as dangerous in its 2009 endangerment finding.
Zealan Hoover, a former EPA advisor under Biden, stated that the administration is undermining the legal framework for regulating climate pollution by disputing its impact on health and welfare.
Environmental and climate experts, including Maggie Coulter from the Center for Biological Diversity, believe the administration may pursue a “non-endangerment finding” to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, contradicting established science.
Critics argue the administration’s tactics resemble past efforts by the fossil fuel industry to deny climate change. President Trump dismissed climate change as a “con job” in a UN speech.
Geoffrey Supran from the University of Miami criticized the government’s stance, suggesting it endangers public welfare by ignoring climate science. Ben Franta of the University of Oxford noted that despite government denial, global warming impacts like heatwaves and floods will persist.
Since returning to office, Trump has targeted environmental regulations, including the endangerment finding for vehicle emissions, the largest source of climate pollution. State rights for stricter regulations were also attacked, though a federal judge blocked attempts to revoke California’s emissions standards.
Hoover outlined the administration’s multiphase plan to dismantle regulations, potentially making it difficult for future administrations to reinstate climate protections.
The EPA did not clarify which science supports claims that greenhouse gas emissions are not significantly harmful. Biden’s EPA cited that the Carbon Pollution Standards’ benefits outweigh costs, projecting significant carbon reductions.
Independent studies report that coal power increases utility costs, and repeals could result in substantial health damage costs. Hoover noted that with the rollback of climate regulations, the Trump administration has ended efforts to curb emissions from the power and transportation sectors, the largest climate pollution sources.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org