EPA Rolls Back Environmental Regulations, Including Air Pollution

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced March 12, sweeping changes to 31 programs, including climate change reporting, pollution from power plants, and emissions standards for vehicles. The EPA also said that it will review water pollution limits for coal plants, air quality standards for small particles, and the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by large emitters like oil and gas companies.

“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen,” said Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator, on March 12. “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S., and more.”

NBC News reported Zeldin also said that the EPA would reconsider a 2009 legal decision that stated greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are warming the Earth and that warming presents a threat to public health and welfare.

The agency’s announcements promise to start legal battles with environmental groups that will fight the rollbacks. The agency, which issued these announcements in numerous press releases, must initiate a rulemaking process that will take months, if not longer, to complete, NBC News said.