{"id":366682,"date":"2025-02-18T09:25:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T08:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366682"},"modified":"2025-02-18T09:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T08:25:06","slug":"due-this-week-epa-plan-for-ghg-endangerment-finding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366682","title":{"rendered":"Due This Week: EPA Plan for GHG Endangerment\u00a0Finding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As promised, Trump on day 1 (January 20, 2025) issued an Executive Order challenging the presumption \u201cgreenhouse gases\u201d (GHGs) endanger public health and safety.\u00a0 The pertinent text is in Section 6 reprinted below with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Executive Order 14154 of January 20, 2025 Unleashing American Energy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sec. 6<\/strong> . Prioritizing Accuracy in Environmental Analyses.<\/em> (a) In all Federal permitting adjudications or regulatory processes, all agencies shall adhere to only the relevant legislated requirements<\/strong> for environmental considerations and any considerations beyond these requirements are eliminated. In fulfilling all such requirements, agencies shall strictly use the most robust methodologies of assessment at their disposal and shall not use methodologies that are arbitrary or ideologically motivated.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

(b) The Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (IWG),<\/strong> which was established pursuant to Executive Order 13990<\/u><\/a>, is hereby disbanded<\/strong>, and any<\/strong> guidance, instruction, recommendation, or document issued by the IWG is withdrawn<\/strong> as no longer representative of governmental policy including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(i) the Presidential Memorandum of January 27, 2021 (Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(ii) the Report of the Greenhouse Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency Working Group of November 2023 (National Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System<\/strong>);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(iii) the Technical Support Document<\/strong> of February 2021 (Social Cost of Carbon, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide Interim Estimates under Executive Order 13990<\/u><\/a>); and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(iv) estimates of the social cost of greenhouse gases<\/strong>, including the estimates for the social cost of carbon, the social cost of methane, or the social cost of nitrous oxide based, in whole or in part, on the IWG\u2019s work or guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(c) The calculation of the \u201csocial cost of carbon\u201d is marked by logical deficiencies, a poor basis in empirical science, politicization, and the absence of a foundation in legislation<\/strong>. Its abuse arbitrarily slows regulatory decisions and, by rendering the United States economy internationally uncompetitive, encourages a greater human impact on the environment by affording less efficient foreign energy producers a greater share of the global energy and natural resource market. Consequently, within 60 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the EPA shall issue guidance to address these<\/strong> harmful and detrimental inadequacies<\/strong>, including consideration of eliminating the \u201csocial cost of carbon\u201d calculation from any Federal permitting or regulatory decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(d) Prior to the guidance issued<\/strong> pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, agencies shall ensure estimates to assess the value of changes in greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> resulting from agency actions, including<\/strong> with respect to the consideration of domestic versus international effects and<\/strong> evaluating appropriate discount rates<\/strong>, are, to the extent permitted by law, consistent with the guidance contained in OMB Circular A-4 of September 17, 2003 (Regulatory Analysis).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(e) Furthermore, the head of each agency shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, initiate a process to make such changes<\/strong> to any rule, regulation, policy or action as may be necessary to ensure consistency with the Regulatory Analysis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(f) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the EPA<\/strong>, in collaboration with the heads of any other relevant agencies, shall submit joint recommendations<\/strong> to the Director of OMB on the legality and continuing applicability of<\/strong> the Administrator\u2019s findings, \u201cEndangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases<\/strong> Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act,\u201d Final Rule, 74 FR 66496<\/u><\/a> (December 15, 2009).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Might Happen Next<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Source E&E News : Trump set a deadline on the endangerment finding. Here\u2019s what might happen.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The finding<\/strong>, issued during President Barack Obama\u2019s first term, holds that greenhouse gas emissions \u201cmay reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s the prerequisite for Clean Air Act rules targeting heat-trapping pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane. The finding originally pertained to climate pollution from vehicles, but it opened the door for regulations on power plants and oil and gas infrastructure<\/strong>. And it could support future regulation on<\/strong> additional sources of climate pollution, such as landfills, refineries and industrial plants.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting rid of the finding would make scrapping EPA climate rules a matter of routine paperwork,<\/strong> an expert said. Regulations could be undone through simple, swift rulemakings. No replacement rules would be needed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaking away the 2009 endangerment finding would really make it almost a virtual formality to take down all the greenhouse rules for CO2 and methane<\/strong>,\u201d said Joe Goffman, EPA\u2019s air chief under Biden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EPA would still need to strip out sector-specific findings from rules written under a key section of the Clean Air Act \u2014 known as Section 111 \u2014 he said. But when the dust settled, EPA could regulate oil and gas facilities for ozone-forming pollutants alone, and not for methane <\/strong>\u2014 greatly reducing requirements for industry. And power plants that burn fossil fuels wouldn\u2019t be regulated for carbon.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daren Bakst, director of the energy and environment program at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank that has long advocated getting rid of the endangerment finding, agreed that it would \u201cpresent legal challenges.\u201d  But<\/strong> he said the risk was worth taking.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the EPA finds there is no endangerment, and this survives in court, it would have the important effect of stopping the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases,<\/strong>\u201d he said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding next week\u2019s deadline, he said Zeldin might submit only preliminary recommendations<\/strong> to the Office of Management and Budget, rather than a full-blown decision to challenge the finding, or pass on it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As promised, Trump on day 1 (January 20, 2025) issued an Executive Order challenging the presumption \u201cgreenhouse gases\u201d (GHGs) endanger public health and safety.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":366691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691833292,691833361,691830175,691833362,691831255],"class_list":{"0":"post-366682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-epa-environmental-protection-agency","9":"tag-executive-order","10":"tag-greenhouse-gases-ghgs","11":"tag-social-cost-of-greenhouse-gases","12":"tag-us-president-donald-trump","14":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0eyJ3IjoxMDgyLCJmIjoid2VicCIsImsiOiIxMTdkMDEzN2YxMWFhY2RhMjI4NDVmZmJjNTdhZTVjZCIsImNyb3AiOlswLDMsMTYwMCwxMDYyXSwiciI6MS41LCJvIjoiZ2xvYmFsIn0.webp?fit=1082%2C718&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1xoe","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":426214,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426214","url_meta":{"origin":366682,"position":0},"title":"Trump Administration Ends Obama-Era Climate Finding, Repeals Vehicle GHG Standards","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under Administrator Lee Zeldin and alongside President Trump, finalized a major rule that revokes the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a landmark Obama-era determination that greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide endanger public health and welfare. This finding had served\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden and Obama administrations\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden and Obama administrations","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-and-obama-administrations"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-12-184328-1.png?fit=1033%2C937&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-12-184328-1.png?fit=1033%2C937&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-12-184328-1.png?fit=1033%2C937&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-12-184328-1.png?fit=1033%2C937&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":365658,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=365658","url_meta":{"origin":366682,"position":1},"title":"Erasing the IRA\u2019s \u201cgreenhouse gas pollution\u201d words","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/02\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The infamous Inflation Reduction Act is best known for throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at green causes. Along the way it also says repeatedly and falsely that carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases (except water vapor) are pollution.","rel":"","context":"In \"CO2 Endangerment Finding\"","block_context":{"text":"CO2 Endangerment Finding","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=co2-endangerment-finding"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0205048825_m.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0205048825_m.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0205048825_m.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0205048825_m.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0205048825_m.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":363753,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=363753","url_meta":{"origin":366682,"position":2},"title":"How To Rescind the Endangerment Finding in a Way That Will Stick","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/01\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"As discussed in my previous post, one of President Trump\u2019s first-day Executive Orders \u2014 the one entitled \u201cUnleashing American Energy\u201d \u2014 directed a reconsideration of EPA\u2019s so-called \u201cEndangerment Finding\u201d (EF) of 2009. The EF is the EPA regulatory action where it claimed to determine that CO2 and other \u201cgreenhouse gases\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co%e2%82%82"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0epasign2_1200x650.jpg?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0epasign2_1200x650.jpg?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0epasign2_1200x650.jpg?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0epasign2_1200x650.jpg?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0epasign2_1200x650.jpg?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":395612,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=395612","url_meta":{"origin":366682,"position":3},"title":"Breathing Easier: EPA\u2019s Bold Move to Axe the \u2018Endangerment Finding\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/08\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"EPA\u2019s proposed action will worsen the \u201cclimate crisis\u201d and \u201cendanger people\u2019s health,\u201d the Sierra Club laments. 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This occurred during an event in the White House Roosevelt Room. The core of the action is the EPA's final rule repealing the 2009 Greenhouse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"American dream\"","block_context":{"text":"American dream","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=american-dream"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0AQN0KhAmYkjSkAWpPLnH2R5K_gRWQqHTkycKyB7IWN58whr3XAQiPIsaYYmy-wd0-RKF3dLXpuzrDFKe5EgG8Fyoa5fyVLiEZ5zM6CotN7PsOLjZ3xujIDJ7zRDkhCXQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C723&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0AQN0KhAmYkjSkAWpPLnH2R5K_gRWQqHTkycKyB7IWN58whr3XAQiPIsaYYmy-wd0-RKF3dLXpuzrDFKe5EgG8Fyoa5fyVLiEZ5zM6CotN7PsOLjZ3xujIDJ7zRDkhCXQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C723&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0AQN0KhAmYkjSkAWpPLnH2R5K_gRWQqHTkycKyB7IWN58whr3XAQiPIsaYYmy-wd0-RKF3dLXpuzrDFKe5EgG8Fyoa5fyVLiEZ5zM6CotN7PsOLjZ3xujIDJ7zRDkhCXQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C723&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0AQN0KhAmYkjSkAWpPLnH2R5K_gRWQqHTkycKyB7IWN58whr3XAQiPIsaYYmy-wd0-RKF3dLXpuzrDFKe5EgG8Fyoa5fyVLiEZ5zM6CotN7PsOLjZ3xujIDJ7zRDkhCXQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C723&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0AQN0KhAmYkjSkAWpPLnH2R5K_gRWQqHTkycKyB7IWN58whr3XAQiPIsaYYmy-wd0-RKF3dLXpuzrDFKe5EgG8Fyoa5fyVLiEZ5zM6CotN7PsOLjZ3xujIDJ7zRDkhCXQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C723&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=366682"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366692,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366682\/revisions\/366692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/366691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=366682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=366682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=366682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}