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ARTICLE · 20 FEBRUARY 2026

Trump Administration Repeals Endangerment Finding: Why, And What Next?

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Enacting what it called the "single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history", on February 12, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin finalized a rulemaking that rescinds a 2009...

United StatesEnvironment
Amanda Beggs
Amanda Beggs
Peter A. Tomasi
Peter A. Tomasi
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Summary of Action 

Enacting what it called the "single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history", on February 12, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin finalized a rulemaking that rescinds a 2009 rulemaking known as the "Endangerment Finding" for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The February 12 rulemaking also substantially revises the federal mobile source regulations to eliminate all federal GHG emission standards established since 2009 for motor vehicles and certain other mobile source engines. This reversal on climate policy creates uncertainty for mobile source manufacturers who made significant investments since 2009 to comply with limits on greenhouse gases, as well as other industries subject to greenhouse gas limits not explicitly rescinded by the rule.

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