Today's Edition
WASHINGTON (AGENCIES)
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to revoke a key scientific assessment on the dangers of greenhouse gases.
The landmark "endangerment finding," passed under former president arack Obama's administration, is set to be repealed, EPA head Lee Zeldin told the conservative Ruthless podcast on Tuesday.
He praised the plans as the "largest deregulatory action in the history of America."
The scientific finding, which argues that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, forms the legal basis for many climate protection measures in the United States.
Zeldin said the move would drive "a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion."
Critics warn that US President Donald Trump administration's plans contradict the scientific consensus on climate change and jeopardise existing climate protection regulations. Observers are therefore expecting legal disputes.
According to US media, the EPA's original statement from 2009 was based on numerous scientific studies. According to research, greenhouse gases are the main driver of man-made climate change.
Since the late 19th century, their emissions have led to a significant increase in the global average temperature.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this is having an impact in all regions of the world - for example through more frequent and more severe extreme weather events such as floods, heatwaves and droughts.
To counteract this, emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases must be reduced quickly and significantly, climate experts warn. In addition, large quantities of gases that have already been emitted must be removed from the atmosphere.
Without the endangerment finding, the EPA would be left with no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are accumulating in the atmosphere.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the proposal to repeal the endangerment finding and the auto-emissions rules had not yet been published in the Federal Register, a required step before the plans can proceed. But, according to a draft of the proposal reviewed by The New York Times, the EPA plans to argue that the agency overstepped its legal authority by finding that greenhouse gases endanger public welfare.
