Federal Administration Proposes Abrogation of Scientific Foundation for Greenhouse Gas Regulations
In a move that has sparked widespread controversy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to rescind its 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. This finding serves as the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new motor vehicles and engines under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act.
The EPA's proposal, announced on July 29, 2025, aims to remove the authority to enforce emissions standards for GHGs on light-, medium-, and heavy-duty highway vehicles and engines. This would mean manufacturers would no longer be required to measure, control, or report GHG emissions for these vehicles, including those from previous model years. However, the EPA intends to keep regulations related to criteria pollutants, air toxics, fuel economy testing, and labeling unchanged.
The proposal relies on a 2025 Department of Energy report that challenges the consensus on climate change impacts of CO2 emissions by suggesting increased CO2 may result in "global greening." This report, authored by several climate skeptics, has been criticized by other scientists for misusing data. The EPA has also halted work on the congressionally-mandated National Climate Assessment, disregarding prominent scientific consensus reports like the IPCC and USGCRP.
If the rule is enacted, it would repeal all GHG emissions standards for motor vehicles and engines for model years from 2012 onward. The EPA projects that this deregulatory move could save Americans approximately $54 billion annually and undo regulations that supported over $1 trillion in regulatory costs, including recent electric vehicle mandates.
Public comment is being accepted on the proposal, with the comment period open until at least September 2, 2025. Further details are available on the EPA website and Federal Register.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, a robot performed surgery by itself for the first time, on a pig cadaver. Medical roboticist Axel Krieger discussed the training process of the surgical robot on a radio show hosted by Ira Flatow.
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Sophie Bushwick, news editor at New Scientist, also discussed the proposed change in the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding on the same radio show. The Associated Press has also reported on the Trump EPA's move to repeal the landmark finding that allows climate regulation.
The EPA's proposal to rescind its Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, if enacted, could potentially undermine environmental-science efforts aimed at mitigating climate-change impacts, as it would repeal all GHG emissions standards for motor vehicles and engines starting from model year 2012. In an unrelated advancement, a surgical robot, undergoing training, successfully performed a surgery on a pig cadaver, marking a significant leap in the realm of technology-driven medical procedures.
