US President Donald Trump has announced his administration will repeal findings that have underpinned environmental laws and influenced vehicles in the US since 2009 – which it says will give drivers more choice by “restoring the American dream”.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the direction of the White House, will revoke the 2009 “endangerment determination” that President Trump said had “no factual basis.” The New York Times.
The 200-page document was based on research and science that led to EPA action to reduce carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping pollutants from power plants, factories and automobiles.
Greenhouse gases are gases that accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere, where they form a layer that traps the sun’s heat and plays an important role in global warming, according to scientific reports.
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Accordingly The New York TimesPresident Trump described the “endangerment finding,” which also showed that greenhouse gases pose significant health risks to society at large, as a “radical rule” that formed “the basis for the green scam.”
“This is as big as it gets: We are officially ending the so-called ‘endangerment determination,’ a disastrous Obama-era policy,” said President Trump, referring to Barack Obama, US president from 2009 to 2017.
“We will be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money,” former President Obama responded on social media.
The EPA said the greenhouse gas emissions guidelines for automobiles starting with model year 2012 or later have now been eliminated, reversing a previously discussed plan to eliminate the need for “stop-start” – a feature proven to reduce vehicle emissions – on internal combustion engine vehicles.
“Today’s announcement ends all off-cycle credits, eliminates EPA incentives for the stop-start button and restores consumer choice,” the EPA said in a statement.
“Americans will be able to buy the cars they want, including newer, more affordable cars with the most up-to-date safety standards that emit fewer emissions and dangerous air pollutants.”
The government claims the decision will save Americans $1.3 trillion (AU$1.85 trillion) by “removing the regulatory requirements to measure, report, certify and comply with federal automobile greenhouse gas emissions standards and… related compliance programs, credit provisions and reporting requirements.”
It also says it will save automakers money after they suffered billions of dollars in collective losses due to the same government’s imposition of new tariffs.
The EPA claims the change will result in average cost savings of over US$2,400 (A$3,400) per vehicle.
If the controversial move prevails, it will enable broader use of fossil fuels and impact other vehicle emissions laws, such as in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom – a Trump opponent – called the decision “reckless” and said the state will “suit to challenge this illegal action” and uphold its greenhouse gas regulations.
In 2025, the Trump administration questioned the validity of California’s regulations, which went into effect in 1978 and were rolled back last December with the support of major U.S. automakers. The White House claimed it should have the ability to override state regulations through federal law.
The Trump administration also ended tax breaks of up to US$7,500 (A$10,587) for new and used electric vehicles in the US last September and canceled the program, which runs until 2032, prompting California to consider its own incentives.
Elon Musk, CEO of US electric car maker Tesla – who held an official government role at the start of the current Trump administration and has reportedly donated significant amounts of money to the president’s election campaign – spoke out against the end of the tax breaks.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), repealing the endangerment order will increase greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2055, leading to up to 58,000 premature deaths and an increase of 37 million asthma attacks.
The Natural Resources Defense Council plans to appeal the decision, with its president Manish Bapna saying: “The science and the law are crystal clear, and the EPA is issuing a hasty, sloppy and unscientific decision that has no legal basis… We will see them in court and we will win.”
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