In a move experts warned will have cascading consequences on public health, the Trump administration is revoking the legal finding allowing regulation of tailpipe emissions and other sources of pollution.
The administration is rolling back the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which states greenhouse gases endanger human health and currently serves as the legal foundation for regulating emissions.
Dr. Vin Gupta, pulmonologist, critical care physician and faculty member at the University of Washington, called the repeal dangerous and said it could lead to a backslide of more environmental protections.
“They’re basically saying that the Clean Air Act will no longer exist because we’re not going to hold emitters of greenhouse gases to account anymore,” Gupta pointed out. “There will be no upper limit in terms of how much pollution they can emit into the atmosphere around us anymore. That is a pretty stunning reversal.”
Gupta noted since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, air quality in major cities across the country has improved by about 80%. Research shows increased pollution from repealing the finding will contribute to 17,000 premature deaths by 2050.
The Environmental Protection Agency called the repeal a cost-saving measure but Gupta warned any savings will be outweighed by rising medical costs from increased pollution and climate effects. He anticipates hundreds of thousands of preventable asthma attacks each year, along with a surge in heat stroke and heart failure tied to wildfire smoke and a changing climate.
“It’s going to cost us hundreds of billions of dollars – likely every year – in accrued medical costs,” Gupta projected. “Because we’re not acknowledging and mitigating the impact of environmental risk factors.”
Gupta urged lawmakers in Oregon and across the country to strengthen protections against the effects of climate change.
Source: Isobel Charle, Public News Service
