Overview

• On July 29 the EPA formally proposed repealing its 2009 Endangerment Finding, which first classified greenhouse gases as public health pollutants under the Clean Air Act
• The plan would eliminate all federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and preempt state fuel efficiency and tailpipe rules
• EPA’s proposal asserts that legal and scientific ambiguities undermine the original finding, arguing it overstated localized health risks and global impact of U.S. vehicle emissions
• Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the rollback as a measure to cut consumer costs by removing what he called “hidden taxes” on new vehicles
• The proposal, the most significant of a 31-step deregulatory agenda, opens a comment period through Sept. 25 with hearings to follow and is poised to face lawsuits from environmental groups and states