Trump Administration’s Climate Rollback: Largest Deregulation in U.S. History, EPA Official Claims

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated on Friday that the Trump administration’s sweeping rollback of Obama-era climate regulations will save Americans thousands of dollars and marks what he called “the largest act of deregulation in American history.”

During an appearance on “Ed Henry: The Big Take,” Zeldin described the regulatory cuts, announced Thursday with President Donald Trump at the White House, as eliminating more than $1.3 trillion in burdensome climate mandates, particularly for the automobile industry.

Zeldin noted that these changes would provide consumers with significant savings, stating: “You get at it right there when you talk about over $2,400 of savings for more affordable new vehicles.” He argued that rolling back greenhouse gas emission standards would lower costs for car and truck buyers.

The administrator specifically highlighted the start-stop engine technology, which shuts off vehicles at red lights to reduce emissions. “That climate participation trophy that the Obama administration awarded manufacturers for putting a feature into a vehicle to make it stop at red lights and stop signs,” Zeldin remarked.

Zeldin added: “We got rid of all greenhouse gas emission standards on light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles and all of the climate participation trophies, all of the start-stop, all the off-cycle credits. They’re all gone as well. It’s a pretty big deal.”

At the center of the rollback is the 2009 endangerment finding, which determined that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.

Zeldin argued that former President Barack Obama’s administration used this finding to justify sweeping regulations across sectors including airplanes, oil and natural gas, and stationary sources. “When you add it all up, you’re talking about trillions of dollars of regulation,” he said.

In response to criticism from former President Obama and climate activist Al Gore, Zeldin defended the move as restoring the rule of law. “We’re going to follow the law,” he stated, noting that Obama and congressional allies had failed to amend the Clean Air Act to authorize such regulations. “They couldn’t get the votes. They weren’t able to amend the Clean Air Act.”

Zeldin also emphasized that President Trump ordered a review on his first day back in office and moved quickly — “Trump speed” — to unwind the regulations. He added: “Of course Obama is mad. Of course Al Gore is flipping out on social media. They’re losing power.”

He further stated: “They have utilized their bad assumptions, their flawed guesses that didn’t pan out to be able to give out tens of billions of dollars to their friends through left-wing NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] to put regulations into place, even though laws didn’t allow it.”