Defend the Clean Air Act—Stop the EPA Rollback

I am writing to urge you to exercise your oversight authority and halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding—the scientific determination that greenhouse gases “endanger public health and welfare” under the Clean Air Act. This finding has been the legal foundation for regulating emissions from vehicles and power plants for more than fifteen years. Its repeal represents a profound shift away from science-based policymaking and from Congress’s clear statutory mandate to protect public health. President Donald Trump described the rollback as “the single largest deregulatory action in American history.” But experts warn it dismantles “the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.” The administration claims the move will save $1.3 trillion, largely through lower vehicle costs—yet those projections do not account for the mounting economic costs of extreme weather, wildfire destruction, crop loss, infrastructure damage, and pollution-related health care expenses. Scientific consensus has only strengthened since 2009. Researchers continue to document rising heat-related deaths, worsening air quality, and the spread of climate-driven health risks. As one science advocate put it, “Sacrificing people’s health, safety and futures for polluters’ profits is unconscionable.” Legal analysts have noted that repealing the finding contradicts decades of scientific evidence and legal precedent under the Clean Air Act. If left unchallenged, this action could effectively end federal authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and weaken future standards for power plants and industrial sources. At the same time, the administration has directed the Defense Department to enter into long-term coal power purchase agreements and is allocating federal funds to extend the life of aging coal plants. These decisions move public policy away from cleaner, increasingly cost-competitive technologies and toward the most carbon-intensive fuels—distorting markets while increasing long-term health and environmental costs. Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure that executive agencies follow the law and uphold the statutes you enacted. The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to regulate pollutants that endanger public health and welfare. Revoking the Endangerment Finding without credible scientific justification undermines that obligation. I urge you to: • Conduct immediate oversight hearings into the repeal of the Endangerment Finding. • Use all available legislative tools, including the Congressional Review Act where applicable, to overturn unlawful rollbacks. • Reaffirm the scientific and legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. • Ensure that federal procurement and energy policy do not subsidize the most polluting fuels at the expense of public health and fiscal responsibility. Clean air, a stable climate, and science-based governance are not partisan issues. They are foundational to economic security, national security, and the well-being of the American people. Congress must step in now.