Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman co-authored a letter in late September urging the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with a Trump administration proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
Since its release, the Endangerment Finding has been the basis for regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, factories and large-scale industries. Under the finding, the EPA has had an obligation under the Clean Air Act to limit air pollution for the sake of both environmental and public health.
On his first day in office, president Donald Trump released his administration’s “Unleashing American Energy,” executive order. That order outlined a plan to rescind the Endangerment finding, mine federal lands and waterways for fossil fuel production, eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate, and invest heavily in coal-fired power production.
The 88-page letter, co-authored by West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and signed by 24 additional Republican Attorneys General, called the Obama-era finding, “both unlawful and scientifically unproven.”
That claim contradicts the findings of scores of climate scientists that have found that greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to climate change, public health, and air pollution.
“The endangerment finding was built on decades of peer reviewed climate science and the supporting evidence is only growing stronger over time. Nearly all climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring and that it’s primarily caused by human activities,” said Ashley Wilmes, executive director of the Kentucky Resources Council.
Trump-appointed head of the EPA, Lee Zeldin, said in a statement that stakeholders and business owners believe the finding is based on unreliable science that has come at the expense of business owners. Throughout the lengthy letter, Coleman discredits decades of peer-reviewed scientific data with claims that, “Repeal of the GHG emission standards is necessary to restore balance, to prioritize affordability and economic opportunity, and to ensure that environmental policy does not undermine the very public welfare it purports to defend.”
The letter also encourages the Trump administration’s attempts to invest in coal-fired power plants. Since January, the Trump administration has diverted funds from renewable energy initiatives to the reinvigoration and expansion of coal plants, despite climate leaders across the globe advising investment in renewable energy. While investing millions to reopen decommissioned coal mines and establish new mines, the administration has also sought ways to scale back safety regulations for coal miners.
Wilmes says the combination of efforts to scale back pollution and safety regulations, and the incentivization of increased coal production, will lead to large scale global climate consequences.
“If the Trump administration is successful here, it’s going to make it really hard for the U.S. government to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and we’re the second biggest polluter in the world. So this is going to have a big impact on global efforts to tackle climate change,” Wilmes said.
“Polluters over public health”
In the letter, and in the initial announcement of the EPA’s reconsideration of the Endangerment Finding, supporters claim that rescinding greenhouse gas emission regulations will have a positive impact on working class Americans. Wilmes says that the overwhelming majority of climate scientists disagree with that notion, and says that the reports within the finding have only grown stronger since its publication.
“There’s just not a controversy anymore, I mean this is beyond scientific dispute. I mean, Coleman’s letter is not about science. It is political rhetoric that prioritizes polluters over people, and it does so at the expense of our health, our climate, and people’s lives,” Wilmes said. “The Endangerment Finding was informed by independent, peer-reviewed scientific research, a lot of which was carried out by EPA’s Office of Research and Development, an office that has since been terminated by the Trump administration.”
A portion of Coleman’s letter claims that reducing carbon emission regulations will have a positive impact on the agricultural industry - a claim that Wilmes says is based on fringe science that’s been largely disproven.
“While it’s true that some crops like soybeans may see a benefit from increased carbon dioxide levels, the science also shows that any small gains are going to be far outweighed by adverse impacts from a changing climate,” Wilmes said.
She says those impacts include heat stress, drought, and extreme weather events like large-scale floods and windstorms. Kentucky’s extension offices have also warned against the long-term impacts of climate change on crop production and agriculture industries.
Wilmes, climate scientists, agricultural leaders and activists say that while the rescission attempt claims to work in favor of the American people, it will have long-term negative consequences for industries and public health. The EPA is currently pursuing all legal avenues to push the decision forward, though there is no timeline on its approval.
