In brief
In a controversial keynote address to climate change skeptics, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the decision to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding, which declared greenhouse gases a public health threat. Zeldin claimed the repeal marked a significant shift away from liberal climate policies. His remarks have drawn criticism from environmental advocates who view the move as reckless amidst escalating climate-related disasters.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday defended his decision to repeal the legal determination that serves as the basis for federal rules to slow climate change, telling a gathering of climate change skeptics that they should celebrate vindication. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the remarks in the keynote address at a conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that rejects mainstream climate science and what it calls climate alarmism. Zeldin told attendees that the repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding reversed decades of unthinking adherence to liberal politicians and environmental groups about the dangers of climate change. Today is a day to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate vindication,″ said Zeldin, who is speculated to be under consideration for a promotion to attorney general. Earlier this year, the EPA revoked the endangerment finding, a scientific conclusion central for 16 years to regulating planet-warming emissions from power plants, vehicles, and other sources. The Trump administration has argued that the finding harms industry and the economy while claiming that previous administrations misrepresented science to classify greenhouse gases as a public health risk. Zeldin's speech has been criticized by environmentalists who see it as promoting disinformation at a time when climate change is increasingly causing severe weather events, including stronger hurricanes and wildfires. Critics condemned the Heartland Institute as a disinformation factory and stressed the negative implications of rolling back key climate protections. The response from the EPA downplays the critics' concerns, framing the agency's renewed focus on statutory obligations to protect health and the environment. The 2009 endangerment finding was pivotal for climate regulations enforced under the Clean Air Act. Legal challenges to the repeal have already been initiated by numerous states and advocacy groups.
