Dear NRDC Supporter,

We’ve seen countless* attacks on our environment and public health since the Trump administration took office.

But none as dangerous as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) push to reverse the “endangerment finding” — its own scientific finding that carbon dioxide, methane, and other climate-changing pollutants endanger our health and our planet.

Check out our FAQ below to learn more about the endangerment finding and why it’s critical that we stop EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s attempt to repeal it.

Q: What’s the history of the endangerment finding and why is it so important?

A: In the landmark 2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, in which NRDC was a litigant, the Court ruled in our favor that the EPA must determine whether greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. When the EPA reviewed the science, the evidence was overwhelming: Greenhouse gases do endanger Americans’ health and well-being.

That 2009 finding has since become the legal foundation for many important air and greenhouse gas pollution standards under the Clean Air Act, like:

• The regulation of carbon emissions from vehicles, the largest source of carbon pollution in the United States
• Limiting carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants
• Creating standards for methane emissions from oil and gas drilling

These standards have undeniably made our air cleaner and safer. And since 2009, the evidence linking greenhouse gas pollution to climate change has only grown, providing a stronger legal basis for these standards. But without the endangerment finding, the federal government loses its authority to curb climate pollution from vehicles, power plants, and industries.

Q: What role have NRDC members already played in helping block the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal the endangerment finding?

A: NRDC submitted over 56,000 public comments from members like you urging the EPA to uphold the endangerment finding. And NRDC’s experts themselves submitted over 500 pages of legal and technical comments opposing rollbacks of the endangerment finding.

Q: It feels like the Trump administration doesn’t consider public input into important federal decisions. Why was it so important to get huge numbers of public comments defending the endangerment finding?

A: Public comments are critical to NRDC's legal strategy to defend the endangerment finding. Even though it appears the Trump administration is taking steps to limit or disregard public input in important federal decisions — like repealing the endangerment finding — your comments will serve as the legal basis for NRDC taking the Trump administration to court to stop the repeal of the endangerment finding.

Even though the formal comment period is over, it's important to keep up the drumbeat against this repeal and remind the administration that the public is against this proposal. Send a letter to the EPA urging them to uphold their mandate to protect us from climate-busting pollution.

Q: Is NRDC prepared to take the Trump administration to court if it follows through with its unlawful attack on the endangerment finding?

A: Yes.

In the coming months, we expect a decision by the EPA about the future of the endangerment finding, and if they attempt to rescind it, we will see them in court.

Fringe climate deniers have tried to attack the endangerment finding for years — and courts have rejected every attempt. We’re confident this attempt by the Trump administration will also fail.

In a world of more frequent wildfires, floods, droughts, and storms, too much is at stake. We can’t let the Trump administration get away with handouts to big polluters while the rest of us and future generations pay the price for these climate disasters fueled by their pollution.

You can read more about the endangerment finding, what’s at stake, and how NRDC is fighting back.

In solidarity,

Meredith Hankins
Federal Climate Legal Director, Climate & Energy, NRDC

*We are actually keeping track of all the attacks — check out our White House Watch to see the full list of actions harming our environment and public health.