EPA Plans to Ditch Linchpin Climate Policy, Washington Post Says

Water vapor rises from the NRG Energy, Inc. coal-fired W.A. Parish Generating Station in Thompsons, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. The plant is home to the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project, a joint venture between NRG Energy, Inc. and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp., which reportedly captures and repurposes more than 90% of its own Co2 emissions by transporting the gas via pipeline to an oil field about 80 miles away. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg Photo by Luke Sharrett /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering scrapping a landmark almost two-decade old legal opinion that greenhouse gas emissions are harmful to human health, the Washington Post reported.

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The so-called ‘endangerment finding,’ published in 2009, has been the legal basis of a wide range of climate rules under the Clean Air Act. A draft proposal to formally abandon the policy is being considered by the EPA, though is still subject to change, the newspaper reported, citing two sources familiar with the details which it didn’t name. 

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Limits on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions will be eliminated under the plan, according to the report. The New York Time also reported a draft is under consideration citing unnamed sources. The EPA didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment sent outside usual office hours.

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Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump’s EPA administrator, has previously signaled the agency’s intention to rollback a wide range of climate regulation, including the endangerment finding. He launched a sweeping overhaul of environmental mandates as Trump pledges to limit regulatory costs and speed US energy development. Last week, chemical makers, coal-fired power plants and other facilities were granted exemptions to bypass a range of rules. 

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The endangerment finding — which undergirds rules on emissions in industries including aviation, automobiles and the power sector — has long been a target for skeptics of global warming and conservatives who argue that mandates under the Clean Air Act aren’t appropriate to cover greenhouse gases, which don’t respect national borders. 

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Any move to scrap the finding would be complex and is likely to face challenges by environmental groups. Electric utilities and oil companies have also previously warned that any change could have unintended consequences, making them more susceptible to public nuisance lawsuits.

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—With assistance from Anna Kitanaka.

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