Southern Indiana Today

Indiana Representative Mark Messmer joined EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Indianapolis to mark the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to repeal a policy established during the Obama administration. The policy, known as the 2009 Endangerment Finding, had served as a basis for regulations targeting greenhouse gas emissions.

Rep. Messmer said, “The Endangerment Finding has long been a Democrat tool to issue burdensome regulations that ignore commonsense science in pursuit of radical Green New Deal aligned agendas. I applaud Secretary Wright, Administrator Zeldin, and the entire Trump Administration for making sure we cut the red tape that is unnecessarily impeding American business, while also preserving our nation's precious natural resources.”

The Endangerment Finding was used by both the Obama and Biden administrations as a legal foundation for climate-related rules. Critics argue these policies limited energy production and increased costs for Americans.

Supporters of the repeal say it represents a shift toward what they consider more credible scientific approaches in federal environmental policy. They claim this move will help protect businesses from what they describe as excessive regulation.

A Supreme Court ruling in 2007 determined that carbon dioxide could be regulated under the Clean Air Act but did not require such regulation. Following this decision, the EPA issued its own endangerment finding on greenhouse gases separate from rule-making on car emissions standards.

Further information about Rep. Messmer’s work with producers and consumers in Indiana’s 8th Congressional District can be found at his official site: https://messmer.house.gov/.