The Trump administration’s move to revoke the 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding, the scientific determination that greenhouse gases harm public health and welfare, is not just a bureaucratic shift. It’s a direct attack on the legal foundations environmental justice (EJ) communities have relied on to hold polluters accountable and secure cleaner air, water, and land.
For over fifteen years, the Endangerment Finding has been the backbone of federal climate regulation. Based on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, it empowered the agency to limit dangerous emissions from vehicles, power plants, landfills, and industrial sources. Its rollback dismantles these protections at their core leaving frontline communities exposed to even higher levels of climate-driven pollution and health risks.
For communities living on the fenceline of refineries, ports, and highways, federal protections are not abstract. They are lifelines. Without the Finding, the EPA loses its mandate to regulate greenhouse gases from many of the very sources poisoning the air in EJ neighborhoods. This undermines years of organizing victories, from stronger truck emissions standards to safeguards on methane leaks.
Climate pollution is not just about carbon in the atmosphere; it’s about the asthma attacks that send children to the ER, the mold that creeps into homes after flooding, and the heat waves that threaten elders without air conditioning. Stripping away this authority will worsen every one of these realities. It also makes our on-the-ground advocacy harder, forcing local groups to fight polluters facility by facility without the weight of federal standards behind them.
The Endangerment Finding is not Trump’s only target. This rollback is part of a broader strategy to dismantle environmental protections that have worked to protect our communities, silence the voices of EJ communities, and rewrite the rules to favor corporate polluters. Each piece that falls, whether it’s a climate rule, a public input requirement, or an EJ funding program, weakens the safety net that our communities have fought for over decades.
When the federal government signals that science and public health can be ignored, polluters push boundaries further. EJ communities, who already face disproportionate harm, will bear the brunt of this deregulation.
This rollback is legally shaky, morally indefensible, and devastating for communities on the frontlines of climate change. It’s also a wake-up call: our fight for environmental justice cannot rely solely on federal protections. As these tools come under attack, our organizing, state-level advocacy, and community science become even more critical.
Take Action
The Endangerment Finding has been more than a policy; it’s been a shield for communities living with the daily reality of climate and industrial pollution. Its repeal signals a future where federal agencies turn their backs on science and justice. But our movement has faced attacks before, and we know how to fight back.
Tell the EPA that this rollback will affect countless communities around the country, and vital environmental protections are needed! Submit a comment to the EPA via this Earthjustice page to urge our government to protect our environment and communities.
For EJ communities, this is not the end of the story. It’s the start of another chapter where we must organize harder, build stronger alliances, and refuse to let our voices be silenced. The health, safety, and agency of our communities depend on it.
Dalal Aboulhosn is Senior Director of Program & Policy of Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED).