Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis. 

EPA Proposes Rollback of Bedrock Environmental Finding

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said last week that the agency is seeking to rescind the scientific finding that serves as the foundation for the government’s legal authority to confront the climate crisis.

Known as the “endangerment finding,” the 2009 EPA determination concluded that greenhouse gas pollution causes a clear danger to public health and, thus, should be regulated by the federal government. “That finding means that EPA is obligated under the Clean Air Act to limit how much greenhouse gas pollution is dumped into the air, just as the agency does for other harmful pollutants,” according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

The Obama and Biden administrations used this finding to set regulations to curb emissions from power plants, vehicles, and heavy industry. “The proposal would, if finalized, amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” Administrator Zeldin said recently.

Repealing the rule won’t make the reality go away — it will only leave us less prepared to deal with the consequences.

The rolling back of this finding would leave the EPA with no clear authority to regulate the greenhouse gas pollution that’s piling up in our atmosphere and driving global warming. The proposal will have to go through a lengthy review process, including public comment, before it is finalized. Environmental groups are also likely to challenge the rule change in court.

We at FCNL are deeply alarmed by this move from the administration. The endangerment finding is built upon mountains of scientific evidence that link greenhouse gas pollution to negative public health outcomes. Repealing the rule won’t make that reality go away, it will only leave our country less prepared to deal with the consequences.

News and Updates

Administration Cancels $4.9 Billion Loan for Biggest Transmission Project in the U.S. 

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) transmission loan cancellation is a major blow to the Grain Belt Express — a massive transmission line proposing to carry cheap wind and solar energy from the Midwest and Great Plains to more energy-hungry eastern states.

In a July 23 statement, the DOE said that, “the conditions necessary” to issue the loan are “unlikely to be met” and that “it is not critical for the federal government to have a role in supporting this project.” With the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R.1) earlier this year and its rollback of clean energy tax credits, this administrative action is only the latest move to undermine clean energy and drive up electricity prices nationwide. In development for more than a decade, the Grain Belt Express is one of only a few major transmission projects underway across the country and is needed to drive the clean energy transition forward.

Draft House Appropriations Bill Zeroes Out Critical DOE Clean Energy Office

The proposed House Energy and Water appropriations bill proposes to remove all new funding for the DOE’s clean energy office. Established in 2021, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations advances cutting-edge clean energy technologies, including green hydrogen, carbon management, long-duration energy storage, industrial decarbonization, and much more. The office plays a critical role by providing financing to support nascent clean energy technologies before they’re fully commercialized and ready to hit the mass market. Without this kind of public investment, solar and EVs might still be niche, expensive technologies, underscoring how the launch of this office in 2021 marked a major milestone for broadening access to clean energy.

What We’re Reading:

Daren Caughron

Daren Caughron

Legislative Manager, Sustainable Energy and Environment

Daren is FCNL’s legislative manager for sustainable energy and environment. He lobbies Congress to support action to respond to the climate crisis and prevent the further degradation of our communities and our planet.

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