Experts were outraged on Thursday after the Trump administration moved to kill a landmark scientific determination that limited the amount of greenhouse gases vehicles can emit.
The determination, known as the endangerment finding, gave the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to limit the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere because they endanger public health and welfare, The Guardian reported. The rule prohibits the government from tracking climate-warming emissions from cars and trucks, which are the country's single biggest source of pollution.
President Donald Trump described the move as "the single largest deregulatory action in American history," while other experts called it "un-American."
“Repealing the Endangerment Finding takes Orwellian governance to new heights and invites enormous damage to people and property around the world,” John Kerry, who served as President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, told The Guardian. “Ignoring warning signs will not stop the storm. It puts more Americans directly in its path.”
Alex Witt, senior adviser at green advocacy group Climate Power, told the outlet that the Trump administration's move will harm blue-collar Americans, the same people that the administration claims it is trying to help.
“[Lee] Zeldin and Trump are telling our families: we’ll let you get sicker and watch your healthcare costs skyrocket as long as oil and gas CEOs can profit," Witt said. “This decision makes it abundantly clear that Trump is willing to make our families sicker and less safe, all to benefit a few billionaire polluters."
