The Trump administration has announced its intention to revoke the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Endangerment Finding, a cornerstone of modern public health and environmental protection. Here’s what Arizonans need to know about what the Endangerment Finding is, and why revoking it would endanger our health, safety, and future.
What Is the Endangerment Finding?
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane qualify as “air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act. The Court required EPA to determine whether those pollutants endanger public health or welfare.
Two years later, in 2009, the EPA issued its Endangerment Finding, concluding that six major greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – pose a direct threat to human health and well-being. That finding, which the courts have again and again – legally obligates the EPA to create and enforce various standards to cut climate pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other sources. These standards have worked: Over the last 15 years, air pollution has decreased dramatically, and much of this decrease can be attributed to EPA standards that rest on the foundation of the Endangerment Finding.
Why does the Endangerment Finding Matter in Arizona?
Arizona is already on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Over the past few years, we’ve seen record-breaking heat waves, prolonged droughts, and devastating wildfires. Phoenix recently endured more than 140 consecutive days above 100 degrees, straining hospitals and driving up rates of heat-related illness and death.
The Endangerment Finding underpins standards that:
- Reduce air pollution from cars, trucks, and power plants.
- Prevent thousands of asthma attacks and premature deaths each year.
- Protect vulnerable communities, including children, older adults, and those with pre-existing conditions, from extreme heat and poor air quality.
Without it, Arizona communities would be left more exposed to dirty air, dangerous heat, and escalating health risks.
What Happens If It Is Revoked?
If the Trump administration rescinds the Endangerment Finding, the EPA would no longer be required to protect Americans from climate pollution, even though the science proves that pollution is making our air dirtier, our weather more extreme, and our families less health
Without the EPA’s anti-pollution standards, we can expect climate change to worse. That means:
- More extreme weather, including longer droughts, more severe wildfires, and intense flash floods.
- Greater spread of diseases – such as the West Nile virus, Zika, and Valley Fever – as warmer conditions expand the reach of disease-carrying insects.
- Threats to drinking water, as droughts and floods alternately compromise water supplies.
- Rising health care costs, as pollution-related illnesses, such as asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory conditions, become more widespread.
- Economic harm to Arizona’s farmers, ranchers, and families as heat and water stress undermine crops and livelihoods.
In short, revoking the Endangerment Finding would give fossil fuel companies a green light to pollute with impunity. Meanwhile, Arizonans would be forced to pay the price with our wallets, our health, and even our lives.
What Can You Do About It?
You can take action by telling the EPA that your health deserves to be protected. The EPA is accepting public comments on this proposal until September 22. This weekend is our last chance to make our voices heard.
