As Heat Soars, EPA “Reconsiders” Climate Dangers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of a nationwide, record-breaking heat wave, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted its proposed reconsideration of the finding that climate change endangers Americans' health and welfare.
The EPA’s proposal was sent to the White House for review today along with its plans to gut standards limiting tailpipe pollution from cars and trucks. While details of its plans were not made public, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made clear in March that he plans to rollback both the endangerment finding and the vehicle rules. This latest move comes after the EPA’s proposal to repeal carbon pollution standards from power plants. Vehicles and power plants are the two largest sources of carbon emissions.
The following is a comment from David Doniger, senior attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“Has anyone from the EPA leadership stepped outside recently? With millions of Americans still sweltering under a dangerous heat wave, the EPA is preparing a likely repeal of the scientific determination that climate change poses a risk to peoples’ health and welfare.
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“This would be a bad joke if the stakes weren’t so high.
“Americans want and deserve action to address the climate crisis. Instead, the administration is jettisoning standards that deliver cleaner cars and a safer climate in order to enrich the oil industry by making us pay more at the pump.
“If the administration succeeds with this awful plan, it will mean increased costs, hotter heat waves, stronger hurricanes, and more dangerous weather for people from Miami to Anchorage. NRDC’s lawyers and scientists are not going to let this happen without a fight.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).