“Warmest summer on record,” blared a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “The average temperature for meteorological summer (June–August) 2026 was the warmest for the contiguous United States (CONUS) in the 132-year record.”
So why is the Trump administration repealing critically important emissions regulations now?
Actually, that’s the question hysterical ecofascists are asking. My question is the opposite: If onerous and expensive climate regulations weren’t stopping us from having the hottest summer on record, why keep handcuffing the economy?
The rule change didn’t come out of the blue; the Environmental Protection Agency proposed it in June 2025. At the time, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it part of his effort “to end the agency’s war on so much of our U.S. domestic energy supply.”
In a statement about the rule change, Zeldin’s EPA projects the action “will save $310 billion” in regulatory compliance costs. Zeldin also “proposed rescinding every remaining greenhouse gas standard for the power sector,” which “would save an additional $370 million” in further costs. “Coal production for power sector use is expected to increase by more than 10 times,” the EPA projects.
Despite Leftmedia doomerism, it is far from settled science that greenhouse gases cause global warming climate change.
“For over 15 years, the Obama and Biden administrations implemented a war on coal to destroy reliable and affordable energy. The Trump Administration has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on,” said Zeldin. “Americans will see a decrease in electricity prices, but this is just the beginning. We are working to go even further so that American energy can be fully unleashed. Realizing the full potential of American energy means more jobs, lower prices, and a more prosperous America.”
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright added, “Unlike past administrations that prioritized the interests of climate alarmists, President Trump promised to put the American people first and he is delivering.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum likewise celebrated actions that “put an end to the Biden administration’s disastrous Green New Scam policies.”
Enacting the Green New Deal in pieces, as Barack Obama and especially Joe Biden did, is still astronomically expensive, so of course repeal is welcome.
The EPA’s statement adds, “The Trump EPA is taking these actions in accordance with the law and based on the best reading of the Clean Air Act (CAA).” That doesn’t mean there won’t be immediate lawsuits to stop the rule change. The same was true of the EPA upending the “endangerment finding” back in February, a reversal that set the stage for this one and more to come.
The administration expects and is ready for legal challenges. The EPA statement notes:
The final rule strikes most of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which EPA has determined exceeded the agency’s authority under the CAA by requiring control technologies that are not adequately demonstrated, effectively forcing plants to retire rather than setting standards they could actually meet. The 2024 rule also failed to account for the U.S. Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA, which barred EPA from misusing the CAA to manipulate Americans’ energy choices.
The irony will come when some left-wing activist district judge exceeds his authority to claim that the Trump administration exceeded its authority in overturning Team Biden having exceeded its authority. Do you follow?
According to Zealan Hoover, a former EPA senior adviser under Biden, Trump is the ultimate bad guy — a sinister villain of movie proportions. Hoover says, “Trump is choosing to allow preventable asthma attacks, heart disease, and even deaths.”
But do you want to know something almost hilarious?
The Washington Post reports, “The limits on power plants now revert to a weaker 2015 standard set under President Barack Obama.”
Thanks, Obama.
