Christopher Schuler, christopher.schuler@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – Today, in its most direct assault thus far on the movement to mitigate the climate crisis, the Trump administration will formally propose a plan to rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s longstanding greenhouse gas endangerment finding. If finalized, this action will devastate the EPA’s ability to carry out its primary authority to limit climate pollution under the federal Clean Air Act.
The 2009 finding was based on the overwhelming scientific evidence that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases endanger our health, our communities, and our economy by driving global climate change. The finding—which has been upheld unanimously in federal court—gives EPA the statutory authority and obligation to regulate these heat-trapping gases emitted from major sources like power plants, motor vehicles, and aircraft. It was adopted following a rigorous rulemaking process considering thousands of public comments and a massive record of scientific research, which has grown far more voluminous in the intervening years.
Not only would this proposal eliminate critical federal safeguards against climate pollution, it could open the floodgates to litigation against power companies, who are currently shielded from such lawsuits under a 2011 Supreme Court ruling. By surrendering its Clean Air Act authority to regulate power plants’ carbon pollution, EPA would remove that shield, and parties harmed by the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions would have little recourse but to bring nuisance lawsuits against power plant owners.
If EPA ultimately finalizes this disastrous proposal, Sierra Club will explore all legal options in response, including the possibility of litigation.
In response, Sierra Club Acting Executive Director Loren Blackford released the following statement:
“As if any doubt remained, the Trump Administration has formalized climate denial as the official policy of the United States government. If approved, rescinding the endangerment finding would strike a decisive blow to the EPA’s authority to limit deadly greenhouse gas emissions and protect our people and our planet from the very worst of the climate crisis. Nearly every single day we see increased incidents of extreme weather, record heatwaves, deadly floods and droughts all threatening our lives and communities—all of which are the undeniable result of greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Trump administration is again taking a sledgehammer to the very foundation of our government and settled law, and doing so only to the benefit of corporate polluters while we pay the price. Our lives, our communities, and our future deserve to be protected. The Sierra Club will not rest until we the people are put first, not fossil fuel companies’ profits.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.