What This Means for You
- The Trump Administration announced it has revoked the EPA’s 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
- The White House claims the move eliminates more than $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs and could lower new vehicle prices by an average of $2,400; those figures were not independently verified in the release.
- The action was announced Friday, February 13, 2026; related regulatory revisions will move through the federal rulemaking process and are expected to face legal challenges.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump Administration announced Friday that it has revoked the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” a determination that has served for more than a decade as the legal foundation for federal greenhouse gas regulations affecting vehicles, power plants, manufacturing, and other sectors of the economy.
The Endangerment Finding was the EPA’s formal conclusion that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act. That determination, issued during the Obama administration, followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, which held that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act if the agency determines they endanger public health or welfare.
By rescinding the finding, the Trump Administration removes the predicate legal basis used to justify a wide range of federal emissions standards, including vehicle greenhouse gas limits and rules targeting power plant emissions.
In its announcement, the White House described the move as “the single largest deregulatory action in American history,” asserting that the Endangerment Finding had been used to justify more than $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs. The administration also said American families would save an average of more than $2,400 on new cars, SUVs, and trucks as vehicle standards are revised, and that lower transportation and trucking costs could reduce prices for consumer goods.
The release did not provide a detailed breakdown of how those savings were calculated.
Supporters of the revocation argue that the 2009 finding expanded EPA authority beyond what Congress explicitly authorized in the Clean Air Act and allowed the agency to impose broad economic mandates through regulatory action rather than legislation. Statements included in the White House release from energy industry groups, trade associations, and Republican lawmakers characterized the finding as a driver of higher vehicle costs, constraints on fossil fuel production, and increased compliance burdens for manufacturers.
Ford Motor Company spokesman Dave Tovar said the company has “consistently advocated for a single, stable national standard that aligns with customer choice, the market, societal benefit, and American job growth.” Stellantis said the decision enables it to continue offering “a broad range of cars, trucks and SUVs — including BEVs, REEVs, hybrids and efficient internal combustion engines.”
Energy-focused organizations, including the American Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, said the repeal restores regulatory certainty and supports domestic energy production. Several Republican senators and representatives also issued statements praising the decision and framing it as a reduction in federal overreach.
Environmental organizations and Democratic lawmakers were not quoted in the White House release. Historically, supporters of the Endangerment Finding have argued that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change and that federal regulation is necessary to address long-term environmental and public health risks.
The administration did not outline an immediate repeal of specific vehicle or power plant rules but indicated that regulations relying on the Endangerment Finding would be revisited. Any changes to existing federal emissions standards would typically proceed through the administrative rulemaking process, which requires agencies to publish proposed rules, accept public comment, and respond before finalizing changes.
Legal challenges are widely expected. Federal greenhouse gas regulations have been the subject of repeated litigation over the past 15 years, with courts examining the scope of EPA authority under the Clean Air Act. Rescinding the Endangerment Finding itself is likely to prompt court review over whether the agency has provided sufficient scientific and legal justification for reversing its prior determination.
The announcement marks a significant shift in federal climate policy and signals the administration’s intent to limit EPA authority over greenhouse gas regulation absent new direction from Congress. Whether the revocation ultimately stands will likely be determined through the courts and subsequent rulemaking proceedings.
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