Stop the Trump administration from gutting climate protections

Defend EPA's authority to limit dangerous climate pollution

Dear Administrator Zeldin, The Environmental Protection Agency has a responsibility to protect our climate, health, and future. That's why I oppose EPA's proposed finding that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants do not “contribute significantly” to dangerous air pollution under the Clean Air Act. In 2009, the EPA issued the greenhouse gas Endangerment Finding based on overwhelming scientific evidence that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases endanger our health, communities, and economy by driving global climate change. The finding—which has been upheld unanimously in federal court—gives the EPA the authority and obligation to regulate these heat-trapping gases emitted from major sources, such as power plants, motor vehicles, and aircraft. It was adopted after a rigorous rulemaking process that considered thousands of public comments and a massive record of scientific research, which has grown far more voluminous in the intervening years. Nothing about the science has changed. Power plants remain one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, emitting more of this pollution than the entire national totals of all but four countries on Earth. EPA's own prior determinations, reaffirmed as recently as 2024, found this pollution does indeed contribute significantly to the extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires already harming communities across the country. This proposal is a handout to coal and gas plant owners. It would eliminate the EPA's legal authority to limit power plant carbon pollution at all, not just today, but in the future as well. That is a permanent gift to the corporations responsible for this pollution, at the direct expense of public health. And, this proposal will drive up energy costs. Without any obligation to reduce carbon pollution, power plant owners face less pressure to invest in cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient generation like wind and solar, leaving families exposed to rising costs of energy and the mounting toll of climate disasters, from storm damage to spiking insurance premiums. The EPA has one responsibility. It exists to protect people and the places we love. I urge the EPA to withdraw this proposal and maintain its prior determination that power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution, consistent with the scientific record. Please do your job and protect our environment and future generations.