The Trump administration is moving to repeal the Endangerment Finding for power plants, a legal determination that would eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency's statutory authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas power plants under the Clean Air Act.
The Endangerment Finding, originally issued by the EPA in 2009 under the Obama administration, established that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. This finding serves as the legal foundation for the EPA's authority to set emissions standards for power plants and other stationary sources. Repealing it would require the agency to withdraw its conclusion that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger human health.
Power plants account for approximately 25 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. Coal-fired plants alone generate roughly 10 percent of total U.S. emissions. Stripping EPA authority over these sources represents one of the most consequential moves in environmental deregulation, as power generation remains the second-largest source of industrial emissions after transportation.
The Clean Air Act grants the EPA regulatory power only if it first makes an endangerment finding. Without that finding, the agency loses legal standing to establish New Source Performance Standards for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Current rules, including those finalized during the Biden administration, would become unenforceable.
This action builds on Trump's earlier executive order halting implementation of the Affordable Clean Energy rule and reflects a broader strategy to dismantle climate regulations. The administration has also signaled plans to challenge or repeal vehicle emissions standards and methane regulations for oil and gas operations.
Environmental groups and state attorneys general have vowed legal challenges. The 2009 Endangerment Finding survived multiple legal challenges and rests on peer-reviewed science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Academy of Sciences, and EPA's own research. Repealing it requires demonstrating either that scientific evidence has reversed or that the agency's reasoning was fundamentally flawed.
Several states, including California, New York, and Massachusetts, have filed notices of intent to challenge similar rollbacks. California holds special authority under the Clean Air Act to set its own vehicle emissions standards and can potentially compel the EPA to reconsider power plant regulations.
The proposal signals that coal and natural gas power plants will face minimal federal pressure to reduce emissions for the foreseeable future. This affects utility planning, renewable energy deployment rates, and the competitiveness of wind and solar projects. Without EPA carbon constraints, coal plants now facing retirement may operate longer, delaying grid decarbonization timelines.
The administration will likely issue the formal rulemaking proposal within weeks. Public comment periods typically run 60 to 90 days, with final action possible by late 2025 or early 2026.