Environmental Groups Condemn EPA Plan to Rescind 2009 Climate Finding

by Paul Garrett Hugel on July 29, 2025 with No Comments

Executive Summary

On July 29, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency’s intent to rescind the 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” a legal finding that classifies greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.

If finalized, this decision would strip the EPA of its authority to regulate climate pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Environmental groups across the country and globe responded swiftly and sharply, denouncing the proposal as scientifically baseless, legally indefensible, and dangerous to public and planetary health. Many pledged to challenge the rollback through litigation, public pressure, and advocacy campaigns.

Key Points from Environmental Organizations

1. Scientific Consensus Rejected
Groups like EDF and NRDC emphasized the Endangerment Finding is grounded in decades of peer-reviewed climate science that has only grown stronger.
2. Public Health in Jeopardy
The American Lung Association stated the repeal removes protections against air pollution tied to asthma and respiratory disease.
3. Legally Precarious
Earthjustice and the Union of Concerned Scientists cited court precedents confirming the finding’s validity, saying its removal would not withstand legal scrutiny.
4. Environmental Justice Setback
The repeal disproportionately harms communities already suffering from climate impacts, including low-income and frontline neighborhoods.
5. Threatens Clean Energy Economy
EDF warned the decision undermines job creation in clean technologies and emission-reduction industries.
6. Transportation Rollback Risk
UCS highlighted that repealing the finding would invalidate federal clean car and truck emissions standards.
7. Destabilization of Climate Policy
NRDC’s Christy Goldfuss described the decision as “mind-boggling,” warning it would unravel regulatory consistency nationwide.
8. Violation of Clean Air Act Mandate
Groups said the EPA is abandoning its mission to protect air quality and public health.
9. Ideological Attack
Food & Water Watch said the move is “malicious,” comparing it to “an arsonist complaining about the fire.”
10. Institutional Climate Denial
Earthjustice stated the EPA is “pretending the climate crisis isn’t real” even as wildfires and floods escalate.
11. Call for Grassroots Action
Groups like the Sierra Club urged constituents to contact their representatives and demand reversal of the proposal.
12. Legal Showdown Expected
Advocacy groups are preparing lawsuits, asserting that repealing the finding violates statutory law.
13. Formalizing Denialism
The move is viewed as institutionalizing “climate denialism” into federal policy.
14. Largest Rollback in Decades
The decision is seen as the most regressive environmental policy change since the Clean Air Act was passed.
15. Global Impact
The repeal signals a retreat from U.S. climate leadership, weakening global coordination on emissions.