Trump Administration revokes air pollution regulation

The Trump Administration recently announced it will rescind the endangerment finding, and experts say it will make air pollution and climate change worse. The finding allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put limits on carbon pollution.

The endangerment finding, which was created in 2009, limited the amount of greenhouse gases a company could emit. The Trump Administration claims the findings have caused unnecessary financial burdens on businesses, and with the findings gone, this means companies have no regulations.

According to health experts, poor air quality can lead to a plethora of health problems, including asthma and heart issues. Arizona is also subject to cross-pollution from other states, which compounds the issue.

Sandy Bahr, Director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the new regulations and standards.

“It is a finding that greenhouse gas emissions are endangering public health,” Bahr said, “It is something that was established pursuant to the Clean Air Act, so they’ve gone full-blown denial. Denial that it endangers public health, denial of the science, denial of their responsibility.”

The Clean Air Act is a federal law in the United States first enacted in 1963 and has since been amended to attempt to control air pollution.

“Here, in the Phoenix area, we’re familiar with ozone, particulates, those are things that are very high,” Bahr explained.

The previous endangerment findings said carbon dioxide and methane were a danger to one’s health.

“Now they’re saying, ‘No, we’re going to ignore all the science; we’re not going to do that,'” Bahr said.

There are now new rules being implemented, including reducing methane emissions, reducing carbon emissions from power plants and limiting emissions from vehicles.

“Vehicles happen to be the number one emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” Bahr explained.