1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge immediate congressional action in response to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's elimination of the 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding. This decision, which the administration describes as the largest deregulatory action in American history, fundamentally undermines federal authority to protect public health from greenhouse gas emissions. The 2009 finding established that carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and three other greenhouse gases endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations under the Clean Air Act. The Supreme Court affirmed in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants subject to EPA regulation when they endanger public health or welfare. By rescinding this finding, the administration is acting contrary to established legal precedent and scientific consensus. This action eliminates all federal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles and engines that followed the 2009 declaration. While the administration claims this will save Americans $1.3 trillion in regulations, it ignores the mounting costs of climate disasters hitting communities harder every year. As Colorado Governor Jared Polis noted, pollution from cars and trucks harms air quality and puts families, especially children, seniors, and those with health conditions, at greater risk. The administration's justification focuses on consumer complaints about features like auto start-stop technology while dismissing the fundamental science underlying climate protection. Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen correctly stated that there is no way to reconcile this decision with the law, the science, and the reality of extreme weather events. I urge you to use every available congressional mechanism to challenge this action and protect the EPA's constitutional responsibility to safeguard public health. Our communities cannot afford to abandon science-based environmental protections in favor of short-term political priorities.