In a letter dated April 9, 2025, 180 Democratic legislators call on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to halt his “egregious attacks on the public health and well-being of the American people” in response to his announcement regarding the launch of the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.”
Zeldin’s announcement stated three goals for the planned deregulatory actions:
- Unleashing American energy
- Lowering the cost of living (COL) for American families
- Advancing cooperative federalism
The lawmaker’s letter predicts failure for all three goals.
Unleashing American energy
In March, Zeldin announced the Agency will reconsider the following regulations to pursue removing regulatory hurdles for the U.S. energy industry:
- Reconsideration of power plant regulations
- Reconsideration of oil and gas industry regulations
- Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)
- Reconsideration of the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)
- Reconsideration of steam electric effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs)
- Reconsideration of oil and gas wastewater regulations
- Reconsideration of the Risk Management Program Rule (RMP)
“You falsely proclaim that these rollbacks will unleash American energy but the only thing these actions will ‘unleash’ is more pollution,” the letter asserts. “As a result of these rollbacks, communities and families will be exposed to more mercury and air toxics from coal-fired power plants, and more polluted wastewater from oil and gas producers. While countries around the world are clamoring for cleaner, cheaper, and more innovative technologies, you are actively hamstringing America’s homegrown clean energy industry, which has already injected $422 billion and 400,000 jobs into our economy in just the past two and a half years. This is anything but unleashing American energy.”
Lowering the COL for American families
The following actions were also announced as being reconsidered by the Trump administration to assist American families with the COL:
- Reconsideration of vehicle GHG rules
- Reconsideration of the technology transition rule
- Reconsideration of particulate matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
- Reconsideration of National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs)
- Restructuring the Regional Haze Program
- Overhauling the social cost of carbon
- Redirecting enforcement resources
- Terminating the EPA’s environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) divisions
The Democrats’ letter warns that medical expenses will increase when particulate matter and other hazardous air pollutants aren’t regulated.
“For every $1 the country spends to reduce air pollution, it’s estimated to yield $30 in economic benefits in return. Yet, you chose to unleash more air pollutants that are linked to Alzheimer’s, miscarriages, and childhood asthma, as well as other public health concerns,” lawmakers say. “By doing the bidding of the polluters, you are putting your thumb on the scale against cheaper and cleaner alternatives. At a time when utility bills are surging, your actions only serve to drive electricity prices higher. Similarly, your attacks on clean transportation will result in Americans forking over thousands of extra dollars to Big Oil in the form of increased fuel costs.
“Lastly, your assault on rules limiting carbon pollution will drive grocery bills and homeowners and auto insurance premiums ever higher. Even the Chair of the Federal Reserve is warning that insurance – and mortgages – will become impossible to find in coastal and wildfire-exposed regions of the country.”
Historically, significant price decreases are uncommon. Many organizations value maintaining profit margins even during times of economic hardship. Significantly reducing prices will negatively impact profitability unless sales greatly increase.
Advancing cooperative federalism
Zeldin’s announcement included the following actions for reconsideration as regulations that could promote a model where national, state, and local governments work together to address issues and problems with overlapping authority:
- Ending the Good Neighbor Plan
- Addressing the backlog of state implementation plans and tribal implementation plans
- Reconsideration of the exceptional events rulemaking
- Prioritizing the coal ash program
“Then, in the guise of giving power back to the states, you are giving power to President Trump’s big polluting donors, who are more than happy to find the state with the weakest environmental protection laws and pollute without consequence. The resulting air pollution does not care about state boundary lines, and neither do the American families whose health will suffer and whose bank accounts will be stretched,” the letter states.
Scientific research and the endangerment finding
Zeldin’s announcement also included the following actions for reconsideration:
- Reconstituting the Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)
- Reconsidering the 2009 Endangerment Finding (See “Danger Ahead for EPA Endangerment Finding?” for more information.)
“The most flagrant lie of all was when you stated during your confirmation hearing that you would respect the science and ‘leave the science to the scientists,’ yet you have chosen to undertake a crusade against the fundamental scientific finding that planet-warming emissions are a threat to the American public. Your attempt to roll back the EPA’s landmark ‘Endangerment Finding’ is the pinnacle of unscientific hubris. It’s shocking that anyone in the year 2025 could look around and honestly say that climate change is not already harming Americans. Just look at the victims of the records-smashing Los Angeles wildfires or the residents of Asheville that are still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene. Trying to overturn the Endangerment Finding is simply the new face of a decades-long climate denial campaign that continues to threaten the health and prosperity of our children’s future. And your purported commitment to being guided by EPA’s talented scientists is belied by reports that you plan on firing more than 1,000 scientists, who are responsible for driving scientific research and progress at the agency.”
Signatories to the letter include Chuck Schumer (NY), Senate minority leader; Sheldin Whitehouse (RI), Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works ranking member; Hakeem Jeffries (NY), House minority leader; and Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ), House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member.
Democrats hope to convince President Donald Trump to soften some of the announced repeals to keep some protections in place. As The Hill notes, to date, Trump hasn’t appeared open to compromise or bipartisan solutions.