WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will repeal a landmark scientific finding that was the legal basis for federal greenhouse-gas regulation, President Donald Trump said Feb. 12.
Catholic theologians and environmentalists expressed concern about the announcement, arguing the regulation helped prevent ecological damage in accordance with Catholic teaching, such as that laid out in the late Pope Francis’ landmark environmental encyclical “Laudato Si’.”
The president’s announcement was expected, as officials previously indicated they would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that six greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. The action would reduce the EPA’s ability to regulate such gasses.
In comments at the White House Feb. 12, Trump said that the endangerment finding damaged the American auto industry and raised prices for consumers.
The regulation followed the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which found the EPA can regulate greenhouse gases because they meet the definition of air pollutants.
Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in a statement, “Today’s action by the EPA to rescind regulatory requirements for greenhouse gases flies in the face of efforts that have been put in place to protect and care for the earth now and for future generations, and we strongly urge the Administration to reconsider this consequential decision.”
“Climate change is one of the greatest environmental threats we face, and the USCCB has long supported efforts aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions both domestically and abroad,” Noguchi said. “Pope Leo XIV recently called on all of us — including governments, institutions, and individuals — to work for policies that promote human dignity and protect our common home.”
Dan Misleh, founder and executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant — a Washington-based nonprofit the U.S. bishops helped to form in support of care for creation — said that “scientists have been warning that the burning of fossil fuels and the release of other greenhouse gases will warm the planet which, in turn, will impact human health and future generations.”
“We are seeing this harm now and even with the endangerment finding, we are not even close to reducing emissions fast enough to keep climate change from becoming even worse,” he said, adding, “It is always good to review government regulations and refine them as needed. However, there is no doubt that eliminating this finding has the potential to increase emissions and create an even more uncertain future.”
The rollback of the endangerment finding is expected to prompt legal challenges.
