Trump Moves to Scrap Obama-Era ‘Endangerment Finding'

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EPA action targeting the Obama-era endangerment finding promises to slash regulatory costs and bring down car prices — critics warn of climate rollback

By TRH World Desk

New Delhi, February 13, 2026 — US President Donald Trump announced trashing Obama-Era ‘Endangerment Finding. Trump trashed the findings on the greenhouse gases on climate. His announcement marks Washington’s withdrawals from climate change mitigation efforts.

Trump on Thursday said that the United States Environmental Protection Agency completed a process that could effectively dismantle the controversial Obama-era Endangerment Finding. Trump argued that the move will remove “crushing burdens from the American auto industry and dramatically lower vehicle prices.”

The Endangerment Finding — first issued in 2009 during the presidency of Barack Obama — determined that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, giving the EPA authority to regulate vehicle emissions under the Clean Air Act. Since then, it has formed the backbone of federal emissions standards and fuel economy rules.

Trump stated that the policy imposed excessive compliance costs on manufacturers, inflated consumer prices, and forced automakers into producing vehicles laden with costly technology that failed to deliver proportional benefits.

“This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory costs,” Trump said, arguing that vehicle prices surged under tightening emissions mandates. He also stated that modern vehicles became overly complex, with “computers all over the place” designed to shave off marginal fuel savings at significant expense.

He framed the rollback as an economic correction — one that prioritizes affordability, manufacturing competitiveness, and energy abundance. “You’re going to get a better car… for a lot less money,” Trump said, arguing that the United States possesses vast fuel reserves and does not need aggressive conservation mandates that raise costs for consumers.