EPA Announces Sweeping Rollback of Environmental Regulations
In what he termed “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled plans Wednesday to roll back or reconsider 31 environmental regulations affecting clean air, water protection, and climate change initiatives. The sweeping changes signal a dramatic shift in the agency’s approach to environmental protection and have sparked immediate pushback from former EPA leaders and environmental advocates.
“Today, the green new scam ends as the EPA does its part to usher in the golden age of American success,” Zeldin declared in a brief video posted to the EPA website. The announcement comes just one day after Zeldin canceled $20 billion in grants earmarked for sustainable energy projects, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding in Crosshairs
Among the most consequential changes is the reconsideration of the EPA’s 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. This scientific determination has served as the legal foundation for most U.S. climate regulations over the past 15 years, including emission standards for vehicles and power plants.
“This is a despicable betrayal of the American people,” said New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “President Trump and his EPA Administrator are now pretending that climate pollution does not endanger human health or the environment — not because there is any scientific justification, but because it helps line the pockets of their billionaire corporate polluter friends.”
Environmental groups have already announced plans to challenge the move in court. “The Trump administration’s ignorance is trumped only by its malice toward the planet,” said Jason Rylander, legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “This move won’t stand up in court. We’re going to fight it every step of the way.”
🚨Update: @EPA just notified 8 recipients of $20 BILLION in Biden EPA “gold bars” that their grants have been TERMINATED!
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) March 11, 2025
It is my commitment to President Trump, Congress, and you, that EPA will be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars. I’ll have it no other way! pic.twitter.com/PjJ5WOlaY1
Former EPA Leaders Sound the Alarm
Three former EPA administrators, including two who served under Republican presidents, issued stark warnings about the potential consequences of the regulatory rollbacks. Gina McCarthy, who led the agency under President Obama, called it “the most disastrous day in EPA history,” according to The Guardian.
William K. Reilly, who headed the EPA under President George H.W. Bush, characterized the plan as a “catastrophe” that “represents the abandonment of a long history” of environmental protection. Christine Todd Whitman, who served under President George W. Bush, offered an even more pointed assessment: “What this administration is doing is endangering all of our lives — ours, our children, our grandchildren.”
All three former administrators emphasized that environmental protection and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive goals, pointing to the nation’s history of economic growth alongside increasingly stringent environmental standards over the past five decades.
Waters of the United States Rule Gets Revisited
In a separate but related announcement, Zeldin revealed plans to redefine which bodies of water fall under federal jurisdiction. The EPA, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will establish a new definition of “waters of the United States” that aligns with a 2023 Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed federal oversight of non-navigable waters.
The new definition aims to reduce “permitting costs and regulatory burdens on farmers, builders and landowners,” according to the agency. This move represents the latest chapter in a decades-long battle over the scope of the Clean Water Act, with definitions shifting depending on which party controls the White House.
“The previous Administration’s definition of ‘waters of the United States’ placed unfair burdens on the American people and drove up the cost of doing business,” Zeldin stated. Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia welcomed the announcement, saying it would eliminate “ambiguity and unnecessary burdens for landowners.”
Additional Targets for Deregulation
Other actions announced Wednesday include revising mercury and toxic pollutant standards that primarily affect coal plants, changing emissions standards for cars and trucks that some Republicans have characterized as an electric vehicle mandate, and eliminating the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
Environmental advocates argue these changes could result in “the greatest increase in pollution in decades” across the United States. Jim Murphy of the National Wildlife Federation warned that with “the likelihood of a skeletal workforce at EPA, this move will put even more pressure and expense on states and localities to ensure our water is safe.”
As the administration moves forward with its deregulatory agenda, multiple legal challenges are expected, setting the stage for protracted battles over the future of environmental protection in America.
