Trump Administration Repeals EPA's Greenhouse Gas Regulations

Landmark decision ends nearly 20 years of federal climate change oversight

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The Trump administration has repealed the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, which had served as the legal basis for the agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for almost two decades. This move effectively ends federal oversight of climate change-causing pollutants, despite growing scientific consensus on the threat of global warming.

Why it matters

The repeal of the Endangerment Finding means the EPA can no longer use the Clean Air Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions from sources like power plants and vehicles. This could lead to a rollback of numerous climate regulations put in place under previous administrations, hampering efforts to address climate change at the national level.

The details

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin justified the repeal by arguing that regulating greenhouse gases is a major political and economic issue that requires explicit congressional authorization, even if the Clean Air Act would seem to grant the EPA that authority. The administration has also claimed that U.S. emissions are too small to meaningfully impact the global climate problem.

  • In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that the agency had the power to regulate greenhouse gases.
  • The EPA issued the Endangerment Finding in 2009 under the Obama administration.
  • The Trump administration announced the repeal of the Endangerment Finding in February 2026.

The players

Lee Zeldin

The current EPA Administrator under President Donald Trump.

Michael Gerrard

A law professor at Columbia University and the founder and director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term.

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What they’re saying

“We used to think that they were going to argue that the science of climate change was too unsettled, but they seem to have dropped that argument, wisely. And instead, they're saying that the regulation of greenhouse gases is such a major thing with important political and economic significance, that EPA can't do it without explicit congressional authorization, even if the words of the Clean Air Act would seem that EPA could do that.”

— Michael Gerrard, Law Professor, Columbia University (The Excerpt)

“The scientific consensus is very clear that climate change is happening, will have terrible impacts, and it's mostly from fossil fuel combustion.”

— Michael Gerrard, Law Professor, Columbia University (The Excerpt)

What’s next

The repeal of the Endangerment Finding is expected to face legal challenges, with environmental advocates planning to file lawsuits in the Federal Circuit Court in Washington, D.C. The case will likely make its way to the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's decision to repeal the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases marks a major setback in the fight against climate change at the federal level. However, state-level and local efforts, as well as technological advancements in renewable energy, offer some hope that progress can still be made despite the lack of federal leadership on this critical issue.