With today’s announcement, Donald Trump has formally scrapped another major rule from the Barack Obama administration that tackled the threat of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This ruling directly affects the “endangerment finding” set out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back in 2009. That determination found six greenhouse gases to be dangers to public health.
This 2009 ruling became a bedrock for later emission control actions, especially in the automobile industry. Trump criticized the ruling as a dangerous policy. He argued that it raised prices for consumers and destroyed jobs in the auto sector.
Trump’s reasoning on his decision was that the initial finding increased costs for consumers. He said it was crippling smart investment and infrastructure decisions that made us less competitive as a nation. He argues that overturning this decision could eliminate more than $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs. This reform would win over consumers with vastly reduced vehicle costs.
Administration officials soon began to fill in the gaps, parroting Trump’s sentiments. They argued that the repeal would save more than $1 trillion while lowering energy and transportation costs for Americans. Supporters claim that today’s move is a step in the right direction for a more pro-economic growth environment.
“Since its inception, the Endangerment Finding has been weaponised against projects and goods that deliver affordable, reliable energy to the American people. It has affected investment and infrastructure decisions in ways that have harmed US competitiveness, purely to advance a political ideology. Rescinding the rule is an opportunity to reset policy, respect congressional intent, and ensure that any future framework is debated and decided by the people’s actual elected representatives.” – Tom Pyle, American Energy Alliance President
Environmental advocates have been skeptical despite the administration’s claims about cost savings and economic benefits. They continue to be worried about the destructive precedent it would set by dismantling such important climate regulations.
Trump’s choice will change federal climate policy in an extremely important way. He says he wants to go beyond the strict measures that were put in place during the Obama Administration. As this new direction unfolds, it will likely spark further debate on the balance between economic growth and environmental protection.