Overview

• The National Academies concluded the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding was accurate and is reinforced by stronger evidence, stating harms from greenhouse gases are beyond scientific dispute.
• The EPA, which proposed rescinding the finding in July, has cited a DOE report questioning mainstream conclusions; the agency argues prior rules imposed massive costs and that dire predictions have not materialized.
• More than 1,000 scientists organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists filed a letter denouncing the rescission effort and criticizing the DOE analysis as inaccurate and misleading.
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Democrats requested documents from roughly two dozen corporations and advocacy groups over suspected lobbying, while House Oversight Chair James Comer is seeking communications from the National Academies.
• In related litigation, a federal judge faulted DOE for crafting its climate report without required transparency but declined to block EPA from considering it as public comments continue through September 22, with over 100,000 filed to date.