The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a dramatic rollback of vehicle emissions regulations. The changes, led by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin under the Trump administration, will relax emissions targets for cars, trucks, and power plants.
Critics say it marks a fundamental shift away from the agency’s historic mission of environmental protection. Trump’s oil sponsors are gaining ground in the US.
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration,” Zeldin said in an official statement. “As we reconsider nearly one trillion dollars in regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment.” Zeldin was hand-picked by President Trump as head of the EPA.
Stripping away mandates
His announcement signals a direct reversal of policies implemented during the Biden administration, which sought to cut vehicle emissions by nearly 50% by 2032.
Those rules had set increasingly stringent CO2 limits for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles, expecting automakers to ramp up electric vehicle production to comply.
The revised regulations, however, remove those mandates, allowing automakers greater freedom in producing gasoline-powered vehicles. Zeldin justified the move by citing economic concerns and claimed victory over “the new green scam.”
In his argument, emissions regulations had placed a disproportional financial burden on American consumers, prohibiting them from buying budget-friendly cars.
He claimed,”We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age.” In an essay published in The Wall Street Journal, Zeldin framed the regulatory overhaul as an economic boon.
Greenhouse gases, no problem?
Perhaps the most appalling move is the agency’s attempt to revise the 2009 ‘endangerment finding’. This legal precedent classifies greenhouse gases as pollutants harmful to public health.
Revoking this finding would eliminate the EPA’s power to control carbon emissions from vehicles, power plants, and industrial facilities—a long-standing goal of fossil fuel interests. It would erode the EPA’s mission and center tasks.
The deregulations push beyond cars. The EPA is also rolling back restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, easing limits on mercury and soot pollution from coal-burning facilities, and reducing protections for waterways.
‘The most disastrous day’
Strong opposition arose from environmental groups, scientists, and former EPA officials. Gina McCarthy, who served as head of EPA under Barack Obama, called it “the most disastrous day in EPA history.”
One senator accused the Trump administration of prioritizing corporate profits over public health, stating, “Today is the day Trump’s Big Oil megadonors paid for.”
Industry leaders, however, welcomed the changes. Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said the move aligns with voter concerns about energy costs. “Voters sent a clear message in support of affordable, reliable, and secure American energy, and the Trump administration is answering the call by moving forward on many of the priorities,” he wrote.
Facing legal roadblocks
Trump’s regulatory reversal follows his withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which sought to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The rollback comes as scientists report that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures surpassing the Paris Agreement’s lower threshold for the first time.
While the new EPA rules – 31 in total – will take time to implement and need further detailing, environmental groups are already preparing legal challenges.
Reuters described a “dizzying sequence” of agency press releases, each outlining new regulations being scrapped. Activists argue that attempts to overturn the ‘endangerment finding’ will face legal roadblocks.
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