EPA Head Zeldin on Climate Change Science and Regulatory Authority

EPA's Regulatory Authority and Climate Science

• 🎯 The EPA administrator clarifies that a recent proposal to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding specifically pertains to mobile sources (vehicles), not stationary sources like power plants, contrary to some media portrayals.
• 💡 The 2009 endangerment finding relied on the most pessimistic scientific scenarios, many of which have not materialized, suggesting that current assumptions can be based on more up-to-date, less pessimistic data.
• ⚖️ The administrator emphasizes that the EPA operates under statutory law and Supreme Court rulings like Loperbrite and West Virginia v. EPA, which limit agencies from creatively interpreting vague statutes or enacting regulations with trillions of dollars in impact without clear congressional mandate.
• 🏛️ Major policy decisions, such as endangerment findings that lead to extensive regulation, should be decided by elected members of Congress through statute, not by agency interpretation.

Critiques of the 2009 Endangerment Finding

• 🧐 The 2009 endangerment finding's conclusion that carbon dioxide endangers public health and welfare involved several