"Referred to by some as the holy grail of federal regulatory overreach, the 2009 Obama EPA endangerment finding is now eliminated," he said. It came about after the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 in the Massachusetts vs. EPA case that the agency has authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The transportation and power sectors are each responsible for around a quarter of US greenhouse gas output, according to EPA figures. Future US administrations seeking to regulate greenhouse gas emissions likely would need to reinstate the endangerment finding, a task that could be politically and legally complex. But environmental groups are confident that the courts will continue their track record of backing the EPA's authority to use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 12, 2026 22:44 UTC