The Single Largest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History
On February 12, 2026, the EPA finalized its rescission of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. The finding was the legal foundation for every federal regulation addressing greenhouse gas emissions. Without it, the EPA has no authority under the Clean Air Act to set carbon limits on vehicles, power plants, or industrial sources.
Zero federal carbon limits remain. The EPA repealed the endangerment finding on February 12, 2026. All vehicle emission standards eliminated. 24 states plus dozens of cities sued. The National Academy of Sciences confirmed the science is unchanged.
The endangerment finding said that greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles endanger public health and welfare. The Supreme Court required the EPA to make this determination in Massachusetts v. EPA (2007). Every subsequent vehicle emissions standard, fuel economy rule, and power plant carbon regulation rested on this legal foundation.
Administrator Zeldin cited the “major questions doctrine” and argued that the Clean Air Act does not authorize emission standards for climate change. The EPA voluntarily surrendered its own authority.
What It Eliminates
All greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines are gone. The legal basis for power plant carbon regulations is gone. Separate proposed rules would repeal CO2 standards for power plants.
No federal carbon limits of any kind remain in effect. State regulations continue where they exist, but the federal regulatory floor that applied to all 50 states has been removed.
The Science Has Not Changed
The National Academy of Sciences disputed the repeal, affirming the 2009 finding remained scientifically sound. The evidence supporting it “has only become clearer” over 17 years, according to the Nature Conservancy’s chief scientist. The Union of Concerned Scientists called it a “complete dereliction of the agency’s mission.” The American Geophysical Union called it “a rejection of established science and a direct threat to our collective future.”
24 States Sued
Earthjustice filed suit in the D.C. Circuit representing nonprofits and Alaskan tribes. The Environmental Defense Fund and Clean Air Task Force co-led separate challenges. Twenty-four states plus dozens of cities and counties sued the EPA in March 2026.
The cases argue that the EPA cannot simply decide that greenhouse gases are no longer dangerous when the scientific evidence has only strengthened since 2009.
What you can do now
- Call your U.S. senators and demand they hold oversight hearings on the EPA’s rescission of the endangerment finding. The National Academy of Sciences confirmed the science is unchanged, and the evidence has “only become clearer” over 17 years. The EPA voluntarily surrendered its own authority. Use Resist Bot to send a message.
- Contact your state attorney general and ask whether your state has joined the 24-state lawsuit challenging the repeal. If not, ask why. Earthjustice is co-leading the challenge in the D.C. Circuit. Find your AG at the AG finder.
- Ask your state legislators to adopt state-level vehicle emission standards now that the federal regulatory floor has been removed. California and states that follow its standards still maintain their own rules, but states without their own standards now have zero carbon limits on vehicles or power plants.
- Tell your U.S. representative to oppose any legislation codifying the repeal. The rescission was done administratively and can be reversed by a future EPA. Congressional codification would make it permanent. The American Geophysical Union called the repeal “a direct threat to our collective future.”