The Environmental Protection Agency aims to repeal its own 2019 Endangerment Finding which forms the foundation for the EPA to regulate polluting greenhouse gas emissions and meaningfully respond to the climate crisis.  The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Yet, the EPA is now moving to strip away protections that save lives while allowing fossil fuel companies to pollute at will. UUA President Sofía Betancourt is calling on all who care about our planet and its people to weigh in against this effort to rescind the basis for federal climate action.

Call To Action

UUs can fight against the EPA’s move to put polluters first at the expense of people and the planet.  There are still many opportunities to publicly denounce this attack, including:

  • testifying at one of the public hearings, 

  • submitting a public comment, 

  • writing a letter to the editor, 

  • distributing a press release, or

  • posting on social media.  

The EPA has recently extended the public comment period and added two more public hearings.  Our efforts are working, and we must continue to take action to protect our communities from this attack. 

Prepare your remarks.  Review the Climate Action Toolkit for messaging guidance.  

Testify at one of the EPA's upcoming public hearings.  This toolkit provides guidance on what to expect at the hearing.  The EPA also provides guidance for testimony at public hearings.  There are two remaining public hearings on: 

  • August 21, the hearing will begin at 8:00am EDT and end no later than 8:00pm EDT.

  • August 22, the hearing will begin at 10:00am EDT and end no later than 4:00pm EDT.

Register to attend or provide testimony at one of the public hearings via email to EPA-MobileSource-Hearings@epa.gov.  Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194 in the subject line of the message.

Submit a public comment.  The EPA is accepting public comments through September 22.  In addition to the message guidance in the Toolkit above, the review the Federal Register guidance for public comments.

Email to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194 in the subject line of the message.

Overview of the epa’s endangerment finding

The EPA's endangerment finding, issued in 2009, declares that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. This finding, mandated by the Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA, is the legal basis for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The finding specifically identifies six greenhouse gases and concludes that emissions from various sources, including motor vehicles, contribute to air pollution that endangers public health and welfare. 

Key aspects of the endangerment finding:

Legal Foundation:

The endangerment finding serves as the legal justification for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. 

Greenhouse Gases:

The finding identifies six greenhouse gases as pollutants: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. 

Endangerment of Public Health and Welfare:

The EPA concluded that these greenhouse gases, due to their warming effect on the planet, endanger public health and welfare, including the health of current and future generations. 

Motor Vehicle Emissions:

The finding specifically addresses the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles to the overall problem. 

Basis for Regulations:

The endangerment finding underpins various regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from different sectors, including vehicles, power plants, and other industries.