EPA this week sent its draft final rule repealing the endangerment finding and ending the regulation of tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions to the White House for review.
The rule (Reg. 2060-AW71) arrived at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Wednesday, according to the agency’s website. The review likely will take at least a few weeks, if not months, before the rule is finalized and issued.
As proposed in July, EPA argued that the Clean Air Act does not give it the authority to address climate change because of the global nature of greenhouse gas emissions. By revoking the 2009 endangerment finding that concluded greenhouse gas emissions do pose a threat to public health and welfare, the agency would also end all regulation of carbon emissions from new vehicles and make it virtually impossible to regulate emissions from most other sectors.
Environmentalists and Democratic-led states have assailed the proposed rule and are expected to mount legal challenges once it is finalized.
