The White House Office of Management and Budget Office’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in late June posted a notification on its regulatory dashboard that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent its proposed rule titled, “Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and Motor Vehicle Reconsideration Rule,” to OIRA for interagency review.
In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced intentions to reverse both the Obama administration's climate endangerment determination -- which served as the foundation for the agency's greenhouse gas regulations -- and the Biden administration's comprehensive vehicle emission standards.
The agency indicated it would revisit the 2009 greenhouse gas risk assessment and reevaluate all subsequent regulations and policies based on that determination.
EPA suggested this review would likely incorporate regulatory cost projections into its decision-making process.
According to the March announcement, EPA's position in 2009 “was that the Finding itself carried no costs, and that EPA was not permitted to weigh future costs when issuing the Finding." The agency further observed that this finding subsequently supported seven vehicle regulations "totaling more than one trillion dollars in combined costs."
EPA additionally minimized the impact of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions within the context of global emissions and highlighted "significant developments" in technology, science, economics, and mitigation strategies since 2009 that could alter its previous determinations.
Once proposed, APPA will continue to provide updates, review, and analyze the proposal.
