Florida Congresswoman Kathy Castor blasted the Republican Trump administration’s proposal to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Endangerment Finding” – which the Tampa Democrat said serves as an essential public health safeguard and allows regulation of greenhouse gases and dangerous climate pollution.
“American families and businesses deserve better than the higher cost of living and corruption of the Trump Administration and colluding polluters,” Democratic U.S. Representative Kathy Castor said. “Repeal of EPA’s ‘Endangerment Finding’ grants free rein to polluters without regard to increasingly expensive and deadly heat waves, floods and droughts, and other extreme weather. Dirty air and higher health care costs and energy bills will be the result. Americans will pay more for property and flood insurance while billionaires and powerful polluters pocket massive profits.”
Recently, the EPA proposed to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which is a prerequisite for regulating emissions from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines. Absent this finding, EPA lacks statutory authority under Section 202 of the Clean Air Act to prescribe standards for GHG emissions. EPA also proposed to remove GHG regulations for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles.
As a result of these proposed changes, engine and vehicle manufacturers would no longer have any future obligations for the measurement, control, and reporting of GHG emissions for any highway engine and vehicle, including model years manufactured prior to this proposal.
The Central Florida Democrat said the “Endangerment Finding” is based on the fact that greenhouse gas pollution is fueling a dangerously heating climate, which harms health, families, communities and wallets. Rep. Castor said that repealing it would allow Big Oil and Gas companies to pollute without limits and eliminate safeguards that reduce harmful pollution and improve air quality.
“For Floridians, the stakes could not be higher. After last year’s brutal hurricane season – and while our communities face record-breaking heat, floods and stronger storms – policymakers should be focused on reducing costs and reducing pollution,” Tampa Rep. Kathy Castor said. “Yet, Trump, EPA Administrator [Lee] Zeldin and polluters do not care about the harm to everyday Americans. To them, polluter profits come first, and hardworking Americans last. Again, the Trump Administration is abandoning average Americans in favor of billionaires, wealthy corporations and political expediency.”
With this action, Democrats say Republicans are making kids sicker, air dirtier, and communities more vulnerable to extreme weather. Rep. Castor added that Republicans are also ripping health care away from 15 million Americans and making the cost of care more expensive for millions more.
However, EPA intends to retain, without modification, regulations necessary for criteria pollutant and air toxic measurement and standards, Corporate Average Fuel Economy testing, and associated fuel economy labeling requirements.
