NESCAUM Statement on Revocation of the Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gases

(February 12, 2026, Boston, MA) The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) strongly denounces today’s decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reverse its Clean Air Act “Endangerment Finding” for greenhouse gases and revoke motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards. Unfortunately, if left unchecked, EPA’s actions will have disastrous health, environmental, and economic consequences for the people of the United States and the planet.

It is well established that greenhouse gases are pollutants subject to regulation and control under the Clean Air Act, and that these emissions are contributing to adverse changes in our planet’s climate leading to increased flooding, fires, and heat waves. EPA’s actions, however, ignore established law, science, and readily available technologies, and put other interests ahead of its duty to protect public health and welfare.

EPA’s statutory duty under the Clean Air Act arises from the enormous volume of scientific evidence that greenhouse gases endanger the public health and welfare for current and future generations. Since its endangerment finding in 2009, EPA has taken significant actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions based on the robust science and the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Nevertheless, EPA is now choosing to disregard this overwhelming scientific record and its legal duty.

Instead of protecting the public from harmful vehicle pollution and the changing climate, EPA’s actions will increase consumption of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Repealing greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks will accelerate and exacerbate the dire impacts of climate change and corresponding economic costs, and will also limit consumer choice of clean vehicles in the U.S. Moreover, the American automobile industry will lose ground in a competitive global marketplace that values zero-emission vehicle technologies promising a cleaner, more affordable, and overall better driving experience.

States and the federal government have critical responsibilities under the cooperative federalism framework of the Clean Air Act to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of air pollution. With today’s actions, the federal government is abandoning its long-standing legal obligations and leaving the states and their citizens increasingly vulnerable to the devastating and costly impacts of the greatest global environmental and economic crisis of our time.

About NESCAUM

NESCAUM is the regional non-profit association of state air pollution control agencies in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NESCAUM serves as a technical and policy advisor to its member agencies on a wide range of air pollution and climate issues and facilitates multi-state initiatives to improve air quality and mitigate climate change. For more than three decades, NESCAUM and its members have closely collaborated with California and other states, EPA, and the automobile industry to promote low- and zero-emission vehicles.

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