Climate News
US EPA revokes the 2009 'endangerment finding', the legal basis for federal climate rules
The US Environmental Protection Agency finalised a rule on 12 February 2026 rescinding the 2009 "endangerment finding", the determination that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. AP, in a report carried by CP24, explained that the finding is the legal basis for most Clean Air Act climate rules on vehicles, power plants and other sources. The repeal removes all greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, and experts said it could lead to wider rollbacks for power plants and oil and gas facilities.
President Donald Trump called it "the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far" and said it would eliminate over $1.3tn in regulatory costs. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the finding "the Holy Grail of federal regulatory overreach". AP noted that the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases are air pollutants, and that legal challenges are considered near certain.
"This action will only lead to more climate pollution." — Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund, via AP
How each outlet framed it
- AP — the legal history, from Massachusetts v. EPA to a 2023 appeals court ruling, and transport as the largest US source of emissions.
- The New Lede — published by the Environmental Working Group, it reported from a protest outside EPA headquarters and cited the American Lung Association's warnings of more smog and asthma attacks.
- Earth.Org — the Hong Kong-based site led its weekly roundup with the repeal, beside data showing January 2026 was the fifth-warmest January on record.
- Carbon Brief — a Q&A on what the repeal means, calling the finding "the bedrock of federal climate policy".
What we don't know yet: how the courts will rule. The New Lede noted that the EPA received over 500,000 public comments after it proposed the repeal on 29 July 2025.