Trump dismantles key climate ruling declaring greenhouse gases a health threat

U.S. President Donald Trump has revoked a landmark 2009 federal ruling that classified greenhouse gases as a danger to public health, a decision that formed the legal backbone of America’s climate regulations for more than a decade.

The move overturns the so-called “endangerment finding,” introduced during former President Barack Obama’s first term. That ruling allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide, methane and other planet-warming gases under the Clean Air Act.

The White House described the reversal as the “largest deregulation in American history,” arguing it will lower energy and vehicle costs.

Speaking in the Oval Office ON Thursday, Trump called the 2009 decision “a disastrous Obama era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.”

“This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history,” he added, referring to Democratic climate policies.

Why the 2009 Ruling Matters

The EPA’s 2009 finding concluded that six greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide and methane — pose a threat to human health and welfare. That conclusion allowed federal authorities to impose emissions standards on cars, power plants, oil and gas operations, landfills and even aircraft.

“The endangerment finding has really served as the lynchpin of US regulation of greenhouse gases,” said Meghan Greenfield, a former EPA and Department of Justice attorney.

“So that includes motor vehicles, but it also includes power plants, the oil and gas sector, methane from landfills, even aircraft. So it really runs the gamut, all of the standards for each of the sectors is premised on this one thing.”

With Congress divided for years on climate legislation, the finding became the main legal tool for federal climate action.

Cost Savings or Higher Fuel Bills?

The Trump administration says overturning the ruling could save more than $1 trillion in regulatory costs. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said reversing the finding would reduce automakers’ compliance costs by about $2,400 per vehicle.

Supporters argue the rollback will make cars cheaper and reduce energy prices.

But environmental groups strongly dispute those claims.

“It’s going to force Americans to spend more money, around $1.4tn in additional fuel costs to power these less efficient and higher polluting vehicles,” said Peter Zalzal of the Environmental Defense Fund.

“We’ve also analysed the health impacts and found that the action would result in up to 58,000 additional premature deaths, 37 million more asthma attacks,” he said.

Former President Obama also criticized the decision, writing on X that repealing the finding would make Americans more vulnerable.

“Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money,” he wrote.

Legal Fight Ahead

The reversal is expected to trigger immediate court challenges from states and environmental groups.

Some legal experts believe the administration may ultimately want the case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. If upheld there, the rollback could permanently limit federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases without new legislation.

“This is really different as the EPA is exiting the space entirely and wants to do it on a permanent basis,” Greenfield said.

“If they were to win that issue as they framed it before the Supreme Court, a new presidential administration could not change that position, in the absence of new legislation.”