Decision will exacerbate climate-related costs, consequences for environmental and public health
Larchmont, NY — Save the Sound is profoundly disappointed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision today to rescind the federal Endangerment Finding, which since 2009 has been the lynchpin in the federal government’s ability to limit greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Rescinding this finding essentially eliminates the foundation for federal action to meaningfully address climate change.
“In taking this action, the Environmental Protection Agency ignores science, contravenes the law by arbitrarily and capriciously reversing its previous findings, and shirks its obligation to ensure a safe and healthy environment,” said Charles Rothenberger, Save the Sound’s in-house climate and energy attorney and director of Connecticut government relations. “Today’s action will impose large and unreasonable costs on individuals and communities.”
“It’s estimated that 81 to 97 percent of the scientific community agrees that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that human activities emitting greenhouse gases ‘have unequivocally caused global warming,’” pointed out Rothenberger. “Scientists are, by both temperament and training, prone to skepticism. It takes a lot to get them to use such definite language, and that’s a sign of just how strong the evidence is.”
In deciding West Virginia V. EPA in 2022, the Supreme Court affirmed the Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions within the scope of the Clean Air Act. This left in place the central role of the EPA in regulating the emissions of pollutants—including GHGs—that endanger public health and welfare.
Climate change impacts impose significant economic, health, and environmental costs on individuals and society. According to a recent report, climate-related costs in the United States reached $955 billion (3.2 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product) over a 12-month period ending in April 2025.
“These health impacts and the associated costs are not distributed evenly,” said Rothenberger. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, populations at higher risk include economically disadvantaged groups, communities of color, immigrant and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities or preexisting or chronic medical conditions, outdoor workers, as well as children, pregnant women, and older adults. “Rescinding our existing greenhouse gas regulations will increase the climate-related health and economic impacts to those most vulnerable in our region.”
Save the Sound leads environmental action across the Long Island Sound region to protect the Sound and its rivers, fight climate change, save endangered lands, and work with nature to restore ecosystems. More info at savethesound.org.
# # #