Can the EPA Finesse the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding?

Bakst: The downside of regulating greenhouse gases

Even for the least essential choices we make in our daily lives, such as what we should have for dinner, we consider the pros and cons. Yet, the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t consider the downside of arguably the most consequential type of regulation in American history: greenhouse gas regulation. In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court in 2007 told the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases if it found that their emissions cause or contr…

In his first 100 days as EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin has used his frequent Fox appearances to shape the climate discourse

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has used his many appearances on Fox News and Fox Business to become one of the most visible members of the Trump administration so far. A Media Matters analysis found that Zeldin made at least 36 appearances on cable news during his first 100 days as EPA administrator, with 35 of those occurring on Fox networks — the most of any Trump Cabinet official. Appearing on networks that are frien…

Can the EPA Finesse the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding?

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency will consider rescinding the so-called endangerment finding that triggers the regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. In a prior post, I explained why this is a fool's errand, and elaborated on some of the relevant points in this webinar. My prior comments assumed that the agency was planning to do what Zeldin and others had publicly suggested: Res…

EPA freezes environmental justice grants as Zeldin defends budget cuts before Congress

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drew bipartisan criticism in a contentious Senate hearing over whether the agency defied federal law by halting billions in climate and environmental justice grants.Matthew Daly reports for The Associated Press.In short:EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the Trump administration’s decision to freeze nearly $3 billion in climate law grants intended for low-income and minority communities, as well as $20…

Senate grills EPA chief Zeldin over cuts to climate change and pollution programs

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency came under bipartisan criticism Wednesday over his agency’s actions to cancel billions of dollars in congressionally approved spending to address chronic pollution in minority communities and jump-start clean energy programs across the country. Nearly 800 grants were awarded by former President Joe Biden’s administration under the 2022 climate law, which directed the EPA to spend $3 billion on gran…