Attorneys general from California and several other U.S. states led by Democrats on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon its plan to rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, a move that would remove the legal foundation for all U.S. greenhouse gas regulations.
If finalized, repeal of the finding by Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency would end current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicle tailpipes, power plants, smokestacks and other sources. This would hamper future U.S. efforts to combat global warming.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the proposal is unlawful and “relies on a draft, unvetted, scientifically unsound report from the Department of Energy to attempt to override the abundant and growing science supporting its endangerment finding and motor vehicle GHG emissions standards for over 15 years.”
The Trump administration is moving on a series of fronts to dismantle rules requiring automakers to build more electric-powered and fuel-efficient vehicles. It is holding virtual hearings this week to take public comments on its proposal.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said repealing the endangerment finding will save Americans money and unravel two decades of regulation aimed at reducing carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases from cars, power plants, oil production and other sources.
The EPA plans to repeal all greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines after it removes the scientific finding justifying those rules.
Arizona Attorney General Chris Mayes said “the EPA is obligated to consider the cost of climate change by using rigorous, peer-reviewed methods. Instead, the EPA is proposing to bury its head in the sand and ignore the mounting costs of climate change for all Americans.”
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell called the EPA proposal deeply flawed and said it seeks to eliminate “all motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards in one fell swoop.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the EPA proposal “suggests we allow the federal government to ignore its own scientific determinations and abdicate their legal duty to take action, and this simply cannot stand. No state is safe from the threats posed by climate change and the pollutants that are causing it.”
