President Donald Trump vowed to release the nation’s energy sector from the tight grip of regulations, and on Wednesday details of that plan were announced by new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, who called it the most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.
“Today, the green new scam ends as the EPA does its part to usher in the golden age of American success,” Zeldin said. “Our actions will lower the cost of living by making it more affordable to purchase a car, heat your home and operate a business. Jobs will be created, especially in the US auto industry, and our nation will become stronger for it.”
Zeldin promised to accomplish the EPA’s “core mission of protecting the environment,” while meeting Trump’s directive to bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and return power to states so they can make their own energy decisions.
“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down the cost of living for American families,” Zeldin said.
Somewhere, a leftist drinking from the last paper straw shed a tear.
The changes are not a done deal yet. The EPA listed regulations it will “reconsider” such as the Obama era regulation on power plants called Clean Power Plan 2.0, which called on coal-fired power plants to eliminate virtually all carbon emissions by 2032. A disastrous plan that caused some plants to close, thrusting the power demand onto remaining power plants, a recipe for increased power costs. The EPA will also reconsider wastewater regulations for coal power plants; the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) which targeted coal-fired power plants; and the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that adds cost to U.S. energy. The EPA will expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations.
While coal plants closed across the U.S. in recent years, China has continued to expand its coal production.
The Endangerment Finding will be reconsidered too, potentially shaking the very foundation of the climate change movement.
“I have been told the Endangerment Finding is considered the holy grail of the climate change religion,” Zeldin said during his announcement.
In 2009, the EPA declared, under the Clean Air Act, that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger public health and the environment. In particular, the EPA said emissions of greenhouse gases from new cars endanger public health.
“EPA finds that the elevated concentrations of the six greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) —endanger both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations.”
The EPA has measured many regulations by how much CO2 must be reduced before cost restrictive fines came into play. Under Trump, regulations and actions that rely on that Endangerment Finding will be reconsidered.
The administration will also reconsider the light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations behind the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate that called for the phasing out of gas powered vehicles.
See the full list of reconsiderations here.
Trump has said one key to lowering inflation is to lower the cost of energy because everything requires energy to produce and ship to consumers.
Democrats who have held American progress hostage through ineffective, overreaching climate regulations are sure to find reasons to protest through the courts. But if they do, the will have not right to ask why costs have not gone down. If they get in the way of the Trump Administration’s environmental plan, they will have to explain to the American people why they prefer inflation over progress.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
