February 12, 2026 (Washington, DC) — Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that will make it harder for EPA and future administrations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Greenhouse gas emissions result from extracting and burning fossil fuels and contribute to a warming planet and dangerous impacts of climate change.

This new rule overturns the agency’s own scientific finding established after years of scientific and economic analysis, which concluded that greenhouse gas pollution endangers human health, thus requiring regulation and oversight to protect people and the environment.

In addition, EPA repealed greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.

Following is a statement from World Resources Institute (WRI) U.S. Director David Widawsky:

“Every person and business in America should be alarmed that the U.S. government is walking away from its responsibility to protect their health and their wallets.

“Most people have never heard of this safeguard — the “endangerment” finding — but repealing it sends a clear message: this government doesn’t care. It doesn’t care that hotter summers are driving up energy bills and sending people to emergency rooms. It doesn’t care that extreme weather is raising homeowner insurance, pricing families out of mortgages and homes. It doesn’t care that many businesses will now no longer be protected from lawsuits over climate effects. It doesn’t care that farmers are losing crops and livestock, raising the price of groceries. The bottom line is that repealing these protections will make everyday life more expensive, more risky and more uncertain for Americans.

“EPA’s own settled science shows that managing greenhouse gases is fundamental to protecting Americans. Rolling back these safeguards is a dangerous breach of responsibility to protect people, the environment, and our economy, benefitting polluters at the expense of all people.”