EPA proposal ignores indisputable science, threatening public health and climate protections
WASHINGTON – Clean Air Task Force (CATF), along with partner organizations, submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to its proposal to repeal the greenhouse gas endangerment finding and over a decade of motor vehicle greenhouse gas standards.
“The proposal to rescind the endangerment finding is as reckless as it is misguided,” said Shaun Goho, legal director at CATF. “EPA is asking questions that have already been answered. Almost two decades ago, the Supreme Court held that greenhouse gases were air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. And just last week, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that the evidence that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions harm public health and welfare is ‘beyond scientific dispute.’ Despite this reaffirmation of the law and science, EPA is undermining its own climate regulations. EPA must abandon this unlawful proposal, which is antithetical to its mission to protect human health and the environment.”
“In the same proposal, EPA seeks to repeal over 15 years of motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards despite the transportation sector being the highest polluting sector in the U.S.,” said Veronica Saltzman, attorney at CATF. “These regulations reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and emissions of other harmful air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic chemicals, and particulate matter, all of which are extremely damaging to public health. By eliminating the standards, EPA is choosing deregulation over science—and putting the health of millions of Americans in the crosshairs. EPA demonstrates an utter lack of regard for the public health consequences of its proposal.”
Vehicles emit greenhouse gases and also criteria pollutants such as smog-forming nitrogen oxides and deadly particulate matter. The EPA vehicle emissions standards reduce both types of pollution. CATF’s analysis finds that the repeal of the two most recent vehicle standards will mean 1,622 premature deaths and an increase of $36 billion in health care costs due to increased smog and particulate pollution alone.
EPA has proposed reconsidering the endangerment finding and rescinding greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles in the same rulemaking, and CATF has weighed in on the various aspects of this proposal across multiple comment letters.
Comments addressing the endangerment finding can be found here. These comments were led by CATF, Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club, and endorsed by eight additional organizations.
CATF’s technical comments on the vehicle regulations proposal are here. Additionally, CATF, along with 13 additional organizations, submitted joint comments on the vehicle regulations proposal here.
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Senior Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
