Trump's week in review: EPA deregulation, ICE withdrawing from Minnesota, voter ID law
1. EPA revokes Obama-era greenhouse gas regulation ruling
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it was revoking a 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding rule tied to various emission standards for cars.
The rule, implemented during the Obama administration under the federal Clean Air Act, required the agency to address the risks posed by greenhouse gases, including those emitted by gas-fueled engines.
The sweeping deregulation was hailed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as a victory for consumer choice that will save American taxpayers approximately $1.3 trillion.
“The Endangerment Finding has been the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans,” said Zeldin. “Referred to by some as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the ‘climate change religion,’ the Endangerment Finding is now eliminated.”
“The Trump EPA is strictly following the letter of the law, returning commonsense to policy, delivering consumer choice to Americans and advancing the American Dream.”
Environmentalists, among them the Sierra Club, denounced the elimination of the endangerment finding as “a brazen assault on the health and welfare of the American public” and an endorsement of “climate denialism.”
“Climate change is wreaking havoc right now, destroying communities and endangering our lives. Instead of fighting it, Donald Trump is instead just focused on helping corporate polluters profit,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Loren Blackford in a statement.
Kent Lassman, president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, hailed the decision in a post on X, writing, "This is the most consequential environmental policy decision of the century."
He added: "Climate policy, like every other area of law, must be bounded by statute while the policy alternatives are informed by the best available science. The world has changed since 2009. No longer can regulators make unilateral decisions to refashion American life and the economy."
