1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

On February 12, President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin revoked the 2009 endangerment finding that established greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. This decision eliminates the scientific and legal foundation for federal climate protections under the Clean Air Act, removing regulations that have protected Americans for fifteen years. The endangerment finding was not political opinion. It was based on decades of peer-reviewed science from NASA, NOAA, and the National Academies. The research documented that climate change increases extreme heat, worsens air quality, intensifies storms, threatens water supplies, and harms vulnerable communities. The finding specifically linked greenhouse gases to asthma attacks, cardiovascular stress, heat-related illness, and premature death. This rescission, which the administration calls the single largest deregulatory action in American history, removes the legal obligation to regulate greenhouse gases. It weakens or eliminates vehicle emission limits and power plant standards. The claimed benefit is up to $1.3 trillion in reduced regulatory costs for industry, but those costs do not disappear. They transfer directly to the public through higher medical bills, disaster recovery spending, increased insurance premiums, and taxes for rebuilding after climate-related disasters. The 2009 finding followed the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA. The EPA cannot legally discard a scientific determination without overwhelming contrary evidence. No such evidence exists. The administration has prioritized fossil fuel industry profits over the health and safety of American families. I urge you to publicly oppose this revocation and support legal challenges from states, environmental organizations, and public health advocates. The Clean Air Act still requires protection of public health and welfare. Congress must ensure the EPA fulfills that mandate based on science, not industry interests. Americans deserve federal protections grounded in scientific reality, not political convenience.