EPA's Zeldin eyes next steps on key climate rule
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Zeldin in March. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
EPA will go through a full rulemaking and comment process as it tries to revise the "endangerment finding" underpinning federal climate regulations, Administrator Lee Zeldin said Monday.
Why it matters: It's an early indication of how the process could play out for one of the Trump EPA's most important — and controversial — actions.
Driving the news: "There isn't a set timeline here," Zeldin said during a news conference at EPA headquarters.
- He added that he wouldn't "pre-judge" the outcomes of his agency's myriad deregulatory actions.
- "When we go through a public comment period, we encourage people who are concerned about these issues and have opinions one way or the other, and have technical experience … to participate."
Context: The 2009 endangerment finding, which came as a result of a Supreme Court ruling, is EPA's basis for regulating the greenhouse gases from fossil fuel pollution that are warming the planet.
- It says that six GHGs threaten public health and welfare. Repealing that finding would undercut EPA's entire climate regulatory regime.
- It's long been a conservative target, though the first Trump administration declined to go after it.
- But Zeldin announced last month that the administration would seek to "reconsider" the finding.
What we're watching: It would likely take months, if not years, to churn through a full Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking on the endangerment finding.
- It will also be difficult for the agency to argue with the science of climate change, the evidence for which has only gotten stronger since 2009.
- While Zeldin could ultimately keep it in place, a full repeal would almost certainly cause a lengthy legal fight.
