County environmental groups oppose the repeal of the
EPA’s Endangerment Finding ordered by President Trump.
During August two environmental groups in Pierce County joined forces to express their concern regarding the repeal the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” for greenhouse gases. Their letters urged the Federal agency to uphold its legal and scientific integrity by rejecting any attempt to undermine this foundational conclusion without proper procedure.
Climate Pierce County is an umbrella coalition committed to a carbon-free future for Pierce County. We aim to work collaboratively with all organizations endeavoring to fight climate change and environmental injustice, with the goal of creating a healthy, sustainable, and resilient future for all Pierce County residents.
Climate Pierce County took the lead on writing a comment letter and Environmental Coalition has contributed to informing the public about the importance of this issue and its effect on Pierce County if the EPA does not conform to the rule of law regarding administrative actions of this nature
The scientific and legal conclusion reached in 2009—that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare—remains relevant today. This finding, which has been affirmed by the courts, is not a political opinion but a product of extensive scientific review and a formal administrative process.
A presidential order alone cannot change a finding like this. To conform to the rule of law regarding administrative actions of this nature, any proposed change must be undertaken through a rigorous, public, and legally defensible administrative review process.
This is the only way to ensure decisions are based on data and due process, not political directives. This protection of law is of vital importance in our community, as an increase in greenhouse gases endangers public health and welfare. Weakening or revoking the Finding would not only defy decades of evidence, it would also reduce our resilience precisely as climate risks intensify.
Here in Pierce County, those risks are increasingly visible[1]. Wildfire smoke episodes are more frequent, driving dangerous air quality that strains hospitals and worsens asthma and heart disease. Extreme heat events in recent summers have proven deadly across Washington, and projections show greater severity ahead.
The Clean Air Act, grounded in the Endangerment Finding, is one of the most successful public health laws in American history. It reduced six common air pollutants by nearly 80 percent and, each year, prevents more than 230,000 premature deaths, and reduces infant mortality.
The economic consequences of repeal would be severe. In 2022 alone, climate-related disasters cost the United States an estimated $165 billion. Those national losses are mirrored on the ground in Pierce County, where floods, wildfire smoke, and extreme heat force higher spending on emergency response, wildfire suppression, infrastructure repair, and hospitalizations, crowding out schools, housing, and public health.
Finally, the Endangerment Finding is not ideology; it is the scientific and legal basis for safeguarding public health, especially for the communities that bear the greatest burdens.
Decades of research show that air pollutants such as ozone and fine particles increase the incidence and severity of lung and heart disease and other health harms. Rolling back the Finding would magnify these costs and shift them onto the most vulnerable.
The choice before us is generational. To retain the Endangerment Finding is to affirm a commitment to science, public health, economic competitiveness, and resilience. To repeal it is to consign communities like Pierce County to escalating disasters, and preventable deaths.
The CPC letter urged the EPA to uphold the Endangerment Finding in full. Several organizations joined in signing on to the letter.
Climate Pierce County holds monthly meetings to discuss topics like this and to work with Pierce County Council and city and towns to pass policy that helps reduce the long term effects of climate change on county residents.
To learn more about the legal challenges to the EPA’s actions watch EPA to revoke “endangerment finding,” legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases.
To learn more about monthly meetings with Climate Pierce County and receive an agenda contact Dr Elly <drelly@sound-decisions.org>
[1] Climate Vulnerability Assessment | Pierce County, WA – Official Website
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