LANSING — The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to repeal the Endangerment Finding, the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks.
The Environmental Protection Agency says revoking the finding would ease regulatory burdens, lower costs and give automakers more flexibility.
However, University of Michigan Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Dr. MeiLan Han warns the rollback could increase air pollution and raise health risks. Han says higher pollution levels are linked to lung inflammation, chronic respiratory disease and increased susceptibility to infection.
Independent modeling suggests repealing the standards could result in thousands of additional pollution-related deaths in the coming decades.
Han says communities near major trucking routes and high-traffic areas would likely feel the impact first, particularly those already facing disproportionate health challenges.
Critics argue removing the finding would eliminate the EPA’s legal obligation to limit climate pollution from vehicles, while the agency maintains that states and market forces can continue driving cleaner technology.