EPA repeals 2009 endangerment finding, deregulating greenhouse gas emissions скачать в хорошем качестве

EPA repeals 2009 endangerment finding, deregulating greenhouse gas emissions

The coal power and auto industries saw the Environmental Protection Agency drop the scientific and legal basis used for regulating greenhouse gases for the last 15 years on Thursday. The end of the so-called endangerment finding follows news that President Donald Trump's administration will pump millions of dollars into three West Virginia coal-fired power plants to keep them operating. "This is a big deal,” United States EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said. “Under President Trump's leadership today, the Trump EPA has finalized the single largest act of de-regulation in the history of the United States of America." Trump is rolling back a key pillar of U.S. climate policy – revoking the 2009 endangerment finding that allowed the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, power plants and industry. The focus of the announcement was on cutting costs of new vehicles. "We are repealing the ridiculous endangerment finding and terminating all additional green emissions standards imposed unnecessarily," Trump said. The not-unexpected rollback followed his earlier announcement somehow boosting the use of coal-generated power by the military and pumping millions of dollars to extend the life of coal fired power plants, including three in West Virginia. "To upgrade and modernize these coal plants so they can continue to run and provide the base load generation, that's so desperately needed as we see our electrical demand grow," West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton said. It's a boost for coal after recent mine closures. Appalachian Power applied for a $35 million grant to extend the life of the John E. Amos Power Plant in Putnam County and the Mountaineer Power Plant in Mason County. Both are getting federal help. The endangerment finding’s repeal undermines the legal authority to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants too – meaning existing federal limits could be weakened or repealed later. New limits would be harder to justify without some legal basis. Critics argue it undermines efforts to combat climate change and could lead to more pollution. Several federal and West Virginia state leaders reacted to the decision on Thursday. West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito praised the move, stating that the repeal will have a "transformational" impact on the Mountain State. "I applaud this groundbreaking effort from the Trump EPA to further roll back costly regulations from the Obama and Biden administrations that have placed economic hardship on hardworking Americans. This repeal will have a transformational impact on my home state of West Virginia, as these efforts reverse the harmful Democrat attacks on affordable, gas-powered vehicles that West Virginians have endured for far too long. This action represents a key win for affordability, job creation and consumer choice, and I congratulate President Trump and Administrator Zeldin for their continued success in producing visible results for the American people." In a statement Thursday afternoon, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey echoed those sentiments, saying he was "enormously excited for this announcement." "The Trump administration promised to deregulate, and repealing the unconstitutional Obama-era ‘endangerment finding’ is the single most impactful deregulatory action in American history. This rule was the first salvo of a war against working class Americans. It adopted a radical agenda based on pseudoscience, and it raised the price of every single American product." Former President Barack Obama criticized the move on social media. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey also gave his thoughts, praising the move and calling the finding a "legal weapon." "President Trump promised to unleash American energy, and this action delivers," Morrisey said in part. "This move restores balance, protects jobs and puts common sense back into regulatory policy." Environmental groups are certain to challenge the action in court. MORE: https://wchstv.com/news/local/epa-rep... _________________________________________ For the latest local and national news, visit our website: https://wchstv.com/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://wchstv.com/sign-up Follow WCHS-TV on social media: Facebook:   / eyewitnessnewscharleston   Twitter:   / wchs8fox11​   Instagram:   / wchs8fox11