What's next after the Trump administration revokes key finding on climate change?

February 12, 2026
What's next after the Trump administration revokes key finding on climate change?

Here's something that might send a chill down your spine — the Trump administration is about to wipe out the legal basis for the U.S. to fight climate change. Marianne Lavelle from Inside Climate News reports that after three of the warmest years on record, the EPA is revoking its 17-year-old finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health. This move essentially removes the government’s authority to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act. Now, here’s where it gets tricky — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is expected to finalize this repeal, aligning with the president’s push to boost coal use. So what does this mean for us? It could slow down or even halt federal climate action just when scientists are warning about tipping points. As Lavelle highlights, this decision isn't just political — it’s a direct challenge to efforts aimed at limiting global warming. And get this — it's happening right when wildfires, extreme weather, and rising seas are already hitting communities hard. The big question: what’s next for climate policy in the U.S.?

Following three of the warmest years on record, as scientists reckon with climate tipping points and states and cities grapple with the escalating cost of extreme weather and more intense wildfires, the Trump administration this week is expected to formally eliminate the US government’s role in controlling greenhouse gas pollution.

By revoking its 17-year-old scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, the Environmental Protection Agency will demolish the legal underpinning of its authority to act on climate change under the Clean Air Act.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will be alongside President Donald Trump for an event Wednesday focused on boosting US use of coal, as mercury and air toxics standards are repealed. That is expected to be a prelude to Zeldin finalizing the endangerment finding repeal, an assignment the president handed him in an executive order signed on the first day of his second term in office.

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Audio Transcript

Following three of the warmest years on record, as scientists reckon with climate tipping points and states and cities grapple with the escalating cost of extreme weather and more intense wildfires, the Trump administration this week is expected to formally eliminate the US government’s role in controlling greenhouse gas pollution.

By revoking its 17-year-old scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, the Environmental Protection Agency will demolish the legal underpinning of its authority to act on climate change under the Clean Air Act.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will be alongside President Donald Trump for an event Wednesday focused on boosting US use of coal, as mercury and air toxics standards are repealed. That is expected to be a prelude to Zeldin finalizing the endangerment finding repeal, an assignment the president handed him in an executive order signed on the first day of his second term in office.

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What's next after the Trump administration revokes key finding on climate change? | Speasy