The White House is getting ready to roll back a rule that has been used for years to control emissions and fight climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to cancel a 2009 decision that said carbon dioxide and other gases are dangerous to our health.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said President Trump will soon take steps to boost American energy and lower costs for everyone.
This 2009 rule has been used to justify many rules about things like cars and power plants, all in the name of stopping the planet from getting too warm.
Some people are sure to challenge any attempt to get rid of these rules. Some groups say this would be a big mistake in the country’s efforts to deal with climate change.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency is working on a new rule about this.
Brigit Hirsch said the old rule was “one of the most damaging decisions in modern history.” She added that the EPA is trying to do something good for the American people.
President Trump has said in the past that he thinks climate change is not real. He once told the EPA to look into whether the 2009 rule was legal and made sense. Many conservatives have wanted to get rid of these rules, saying they hurt the economy.
Lee Zeldin, who Trump picked to lead the EPA, has said that past Democratic leaders were willing to “bankrupt the country” to fight climate change.
Zeldin said the Democrats’ rule allowed them to control many parts of the economy and that it cost Americans a lot of money.
Peter Zalzal, a lawyer, said that if the EPA gets rid of the rule, it will lead to more pollution, higher health insurance costs, and more deaths.
Zalzal said Zeldin’s plan is “cynical and deeply damaging” because there is a lot of scientific proof that supports the 2009 rule.
Critics also said that the Supreme Court decided in 2007 that greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
After Zeldin suggested getting rid of the rule, some science groups looked at the evidence again and said the 2009 rule was “accurate” and “reinforced by even stronger evidence.”
The scientists said that much of what was not clear in 2009 is now known. They added that there is no doubt that human-caused greenhouse gases are harming people’s health.
