Trump administration undermines EPA enforcement of Clean Air Act

In Brief Posted: 11:13 AM PST · February 12, 2026 Image Credits:mheim3011/iStock / Getty Images Tim De Chant Trump administration undermines EPA enforcement of Clean Air Act After months of telegraphing the move, the Trump administration today officially repealed the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” which found that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane were a threat to human health and welfare. The finding had so far supported the agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Currently, the new rule only applies to car and truck tailpipe emissions, but it’s expected to be the first of several similar changes to federal air pollution regulations. Before the endangerment finding can be fully repealed, though, the EPA must go through a lengthy process. The original finding took two years to put in place. The move by Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, will slow the decline in emissions by about 10%, according to Axios. That’s a significant amount, but not enough to reverse the trend, partly because cheap renewables have dominated new electricity-generation capacity in recent years. “This action will only lead to more pollution, and that will lead to higher costs and real harms for American families,” Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, told TechCrunch in a statement. Unabated climate change is expected to raise mortality rates by around 2% in the U.S., and it could reduce global GDP by 17% by 2050, or about $38 trillion. Topics Climate, epa, Government & Policy, greenhouse gases, In Brief, Transportation, Trump Administration October 13-15 San Francisco, CA Tickets are live at the lowest rates of the year. Save up to $680 on your pass now.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.

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