Trump administration backtracks on greenhouse gas emissions regulation

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on July 29, 2025 at 9:37 p.m.

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Donald Trump 's government announced on Tuesday, July 29, that it was reversing a key decision on regulating greenhouse gas emissions , from exhaust pipes to gas-fired power plants, undermining the fight against climate change in the United States.

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"If finalized, today's announcement would be the largest deregulatory measure in the history of the United States," said Lee Zeldin, head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from a car dealership in Indianapolis, in the north of the country.

Supported by the fossil fuel industry, the American president has since his return in January multiplied measures hostile to the fight against global warming . The United States is the second largest emitter in the world and the largest in history.

"Conservatives love the environment"

Tuesday's announcement, which still requires a 45-day public comment period, challenges a decision made during former President Barack Obama's first term. This 2009 "Endangerment Finding" forms the legal basis for numerous federal regulations aimed at combating global warming.

Prompted by a Supreme Court ruling, the EPA ruled that greenhouse gases were dangerous to public health and, therefore, had the authority to regulate their emissions under the 1970 Clean Air Act. According to the current EPA chief, the agency made "intellectual shortcuts" in making this decision, which is based on a broad scientific consensus.

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"Conservatives love the environment, they want to be good stewards of the environment," Lee Zeldin said Tuesday on the right-leaning "Ruthless Podcast." But "there are people who [...] are willing to ruin the country in the name of environmental justice."

This reform is expected to allow for extensive deregulation of the automotive sector by relaxing vehicle emissions rules. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, with the majority of Americans using cars for their daily commutes.

If the U.S. transportation sector were a country, it would be the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Tuesday's decision is also expected to affect rules regarding emissions from gas and coal-fired power plants. About 60% of U.S. electricity comes from fossil fuels.

Dan Becker of the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity told AFP that the 2009 decision had withstood several legal challenges. "But this time, it's the government itself that's leading the attack," he said.

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