State and local environmental leaders strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s move on Thursday to rescind a scientific finding, the loss of which effectively deregulated greenhouse gas emissions under the Environmental Protection Agency — with the state Energy Office calling it “one of the largest environmental rollbacks in U.S. history.”
Known as the endangerment finding, the rescinded rule was part of a 2009 government declaration that determined carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. Trump claimed the decision would make cost of living more affordable, specifically because it deregulated pollution from power plants and vehicles.
But Hawaii lawmakers, agencies and environmental leaders vehemently disagreed.
“Repealing the language doesn’t get rid of the danger,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “He’s claiming affordability at the cost of our grandchildren’s lives.”
Tokuda said the deregulation of greenhouse gas emissions could have “devastating” effects that only will be fully understood in decades to come, noting that the current climate crisis was because of failures to act in past.
She called on Congress to codify the endangerment finding into law and potentially use the appropriations process to ensure the EPA continues to regulate pollution through the Clean Air Act.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Trump’s decision will not stop energy costs from rising as the president claims.
“These moves lock us into outdated, expensive fossil fuels like coal instead of the clean energy sources that are already the cheapest and fastest to build. You don’t get lower bills by propping up yesterday’s energy,” Schatz said. “Trump’s decision to roll back these protections will also mean dirtier air, leading to more illnesses and preventable deaths. This isn’t about affordability; it’s about protecting polluters while putting people’s lives at risk.”
Hawaii State Energy Office Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick said the agency is “deeply concerned” about the rollback.
Glick said the decision erased a foundational piece of the country’s efforts to address climate change and is in “stark opposition” to actions taken by Gov. Josh Green’s administration to combat climate change, increase resilience and accelerate Hawaii’s transition to clean, renewable energy.
The federal action will not alter the state’s statutory and regulatory obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Glick said, adding that state laws around emissions remain in effect.
“Hawai‘i’s energy policy is guided by clear priorities: lowering costs for families, reducing carbon emissions, strengthening grid reliability, and accelerating our transition to 100% clean, renewable energy,” Glick said.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez echoed Glick’s sentiment, saying the decision “jeopardizes the air we breathe, the health of our communities, and the safety of future generations.”
Lopez said the Attorney General’s Office will continue to hold federal agencies accountable to the law and science that supports it. She added the decision does not change the state’s ongoing litigation to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate- related harms through deceptive marketing.
“We remain committed to using every legal tool available to protect our communities and environment,” she said.
Rep. Nicole Lowen (D- Kailua-Kona-Honokohau- Puuanahulu), chair of the House committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, told the Star-Advertiser she and other legislators will work to ensure current standards for clean air are upheld.
“It seems that Trump is more interested in fighting culture wars and enriching himself than protecting people’s health, the environment, and creating a stable, predictable regulatory environment in which businesses can thrive,” Lowen said. “This is a wrong-headed and ill-informed move; par for the course.”
Sen. Mike Gabbard (D- Kapolei-Malakilo-Kalaeloa), chair of the Agriculture and Environment Committee, said in an email the EPA rollback and climate funding cuts from the Trump administration make it “clear that we can’t wait for decisions to be made. We have to lead.”
He said Hawaii will continue to be a leader in responding to the ongoing climate emergency no mater what happens at the federal level.
“Malama honua isn’t just a slogan,” he said. “It’s who we are.”
City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change and Sustainability Executive Director Kealoha Fox also shared concerns for the impact of deregulating emissions, noting that science and U.S. Supreme Court decisions have affirmed greenhouse gasses as pollutants linked to higher rates of asthma, heart disease, respiratory illness and premature death, especially for vulnerable groups.
“If the EPA is no longer able to regulate emissions from vehicles and other major sources, communities like ours will feel the consequences,” Fox said. “Increased pollution will not only worsen climate-related disasters such as flooding, extreme heat, wildfires, and hurricanes, it will also reduce the tools available to protect our residents from these growing risks.”
Climate Hawai‘i executive director Jeff Mikulina told the Star-Advertiser the move was unsurprising given the “long line of unfortunate moves by this administration to gut our climate protections and progress we’ve made since 2009.”
Mikulina pointed out the original decision in 2009 was not political, but rather a recognition of science.
“We know greenhouse gasses are threatening public health and repealing this endangerment finding doesn’t repeal the physics of climate that is happening irrespective of who is in the White House,” Mikulina said.
He added that climate risk is economic risk, with insurance premiums increasing in response to increased natural disasters.
Kylie Wager Cruz, a senior attorney for Earthjustice’s mid-Pacific office in Honolulu, told the Star-Advertiser the decision was “pure climate denialism that’s against all facts and science,” and that Hawaii’s state laws and regulations, especially its 2045 decarbonization goal, will be able to hold strong as climate regulations continue to be fought for at the federal level.
“The Trump Administration can’t make us unsee the climate harms that we are already seeing at home,” Wager Cruz said, noting increased wildfires, coral bleaching, drought and marine heat waves. “These problems are only getting worse. We’re not buying this play by the Trump Administration to make us bury our heads in the sand.”
National branches of both the Sierra Club and Earthjustice announced efforts to challenge Trump’s decision in court.
By: Chloe Jones
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser