Overview
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who keynoted the Heartland Institute conference in Washington on Wednesday, told attendees to "celebrate vindication" after repealing the 2009 endangerment finding.
- The endangerment finding, revoked in February, had served as the core scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases from cars, power plants and other major sources.
- The repeal has already wiped out federal greenhouse-gas standards for cars and trucks, and nearly two dozen states plus public-interest groups have filed lawsuits to stop the broader rollback.
- Environmental groups labeled Heartland a disinformation hub and said the EPA is abandoning public protections, while the agency said it is following what it calls gold standard science and its legal duties.
- Conference allies praised Zeldin’s deregulatory push and urged President Trump to keep him at EPA to continue the overhaul of climate rules.