Greenhouse gases and public health. Trump overturns key decision

The largest deregulation in American history – this is how the White House promotes Donald Trump’s decision to repeal the 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health. Environmental organizations announce they will challenge the president’s decision in court.

Greenhouse gases will no longer hold back the American economy

On Thursday, February 12, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin, announced the annulment of the so-called endangerment finding. The statement was issued in the Oval Office in the presence of Donald Trump, who had long promised a complete reversal of his predecessors’ climate policies.

This radical rule became the legal foundation of the Green New Scam, one of the greatest hoaxes in history, the American president justified his decision.

In an official statement issued by the EPA, it is stated that the historic deregulation will save taxpayers 1.3 billion dollars by eliminating federal greenhouse gas emission standards for all types of vehicles and engines. As a result, American families will gain access to cheaper vehicles and, additionally, thanks to lower truck prices, goods in stores are expected to become cheaper.

According to administration representatives, affordable cars are essential for achieving the American dream and may become a key factor enabling poverty reduction.

🚨The @EPA has repealed the #EndangermentFinding, the 2009 determination that greenhouse gas pollution is a danger to public health & contributes to climate change. This decision undermines our ability to protect the health of people & wildlife. More: https://t.co/tub8Y0xO9K pic.twitter.com/m5Vo605ee8

— National Wildlife Federation (@NWF) February 12, 2026

The end of the fight against emissions in the United States?

The so-called endangerment finding was adopted during the presidency of Barack Obama and for many years formed the basis of American climate policy. Its provisions officially confirmed that six greenhouse gases, including methane and carbon dioxide, pose a threat to human health. The finding gave the EPA the authority to regulate air pollution through emission standards for transport, energy and industry.

Trump’s latest decision opens the way to invalidating all regulations aimed at limiting emissions and continues earlier actions, including withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement and denying the link between climate warming and human activity. The White House announces the systematic repeal of provisions issued on the basis of the endangerment finding during the Obama and Biden administrations. This includes, among others, preferences for electric vehicles.

The case will go to court

The annulment of the 2009 finding triggered a wave of outrage and protests among organizations working for climate and environmental protection. Their representatives announce that they will take the fight to court. The American Lung Association and the American Public Health Association have also announced they will file a lawsuit, considering Trump’s decision unlawful.

Earthjustice and our partners will meet the Trump administration in court, said Abigail Dillen, president of the environmental law group, adding that courts have repeatedly confirmed the EPA’s obligation to combat air pollution.

Not only the legality of the new decision is being questioned, but also its economic rationale. Experts from the Environmental Defense Fund cast doubt on the savings cited by the EPA, explaining that a shift back to combustion vehicles will mean an increase in fuel spending of 1.4 billion dollars. They estimate the health consequences of increased emissions at 58,000 premature deaths and 38 million asthma attacks.

According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Americans overwhelmingly support regulating carbon dioxide emissions as pollution. Unfortunately, as legal experts quoted by The New York Times emphasize, these arguments may prove insufficient – in the coming years the Supreme Court will have a conservative majority that is anti-regulatory and may favor Trump’s policy.