Yesterday evening, I testified at the EPA’s public hearing for its proposed rule to “reconsider” the 2009 Endangerment Finding and the greenhouse gas vehicle standards. If finalized, this rule would overturn the science-based Endangerment Finding which established that the heat-trapping emissions driving climate change are harmful to public health and well-being.
The EPA is also proposing to repeal pollution standards to limit these emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources. In one fell swoop, these destructive actions would have the agency completely evade its legal responsibility to protect people from worsening climate impacts, while propping up polluting fossil fuels.
Hundreds of people have signed up to testify this week, the overwhelming majority voicing strong opposition to the EPA’s harmful actions. We each had 2.5 minutes to speak and here is what I shared (edited slightly, as I had to adjust my comments to fit the time constraints).
Good evening, my name is Rachel Cleetus, and I am the Senior Policy Director for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The EPA’s attempts to overturn the Endangerment Finding and evade its legal responsibility to address the health harms of global warming pollution are quite simply alarming, not to mention contrary to science and law. And basing these actions on an error-riddled sham science report hastily and secretly commissioned by the Department of Energy is equally egregious.
The scientific evidence on human-caused climate change is unequivocal and has only grown more compelling since the 2009 Endangerment Finding was issued. Heat-trapping emissions from burning fossil fuels are the primary driver of climate change. The harms to people and the planet are readily apparent today and they will mount as emissions rise. Every major scientific society and multiple authoritative reports including the Fifth US National Climate Assessment and the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are clear about these facts.
People across the nation are already experiencing costly and harmful impacts from extreme heatwaves, intensified storms, catastrophic wildfires, record-breaking floods and droughts, and accelerating sea level rise. Communities with fewer resources, people who work outdoors or have preexisting health conditions or vulnerabilities, farmers are others who draw their livelihoods from nature are among those disproportionately affected. To deny these realities is a cruel dereliction of the EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment.
The EPA and this administration are trying to bury the evidence on climate change and replace science with lies and disinformation. Rather than protect the public, they are choosing to protect the profits of fossil fuel polluters.
We urge the EPA to return to its core mission and restore science-based policymaking at the agency. Stop these dangerous and destructive efforts to overturn the Endangerment Finding and repeal pollution standards for power plants, vehicles and other sources of heat-trapping emissions.
The world is teetering on the brink of crossing the 1.5°C mark, and global heat-trapping emissions are far off-track from where they need to be to limit the worst consequences of climate change. The United States cannot solve this problem alone—but as a leading contributor to global emissions, our nation’s actions have profound consequences for the trajectory of the climate crisis. The EPA and the administration must help ensure our nation is part of the solution, for the sake of people today and for generations to come.
The EPA is accepting comments on this proposal through September 22, 2025. Please add your voice in opposing this proposal, and tell the EPA to uphold climate science and protect our health.