The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the elimination of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding considering it exceeded its authority when it was adopted in 2009 (US EPA press release, 12/02/2026). The 2009 Endangerment Finding represented the legal basis that justified most climate rules made by the institution under the Clean Air Act. The scraping effectively eliminates GHG standards for cars and trucks (of model years 2012 to 2027 and beyond), and experts consider that the scraping of the finding will eventually lead to a similar repeal on standards for power plants and oil and gas sites (Euronews, 13/02/2026). Off-cycle credits and start-stop feature have also been eliminated, with the purpose of saving over USD1.3tn of taxpayer money, support more affordable vehicles and promote economic mobility.
The Clean Air Act was ruled in 2007 by the US Supreme Court, establishing that GHG are air pollutants, and had since then been upheld by courts across the US. By stating the link between CO2 and other greenhouse gases and their impact on the climate and public health and welfare, the ruling served to create most standards on emissions from cars, power plants and other similar sources.
Interested in Global Energy Research?
Enerdata's premium online information service provides up-to-date market reports on 110+ countries. The reports include valuable market data and analysis as well as a daily newsfeed, curated by our energy analysts, on the oil, gas, coal and power markets.
This user-friendly tool gives you the essentials about the domestic markets of your concern, including market structure, organisation, actors, projects and business perspectives.