Zeldin touts EPA rescinding 'endangerment finding' on greenhouse gases, says 'celebrate vindication'

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday touted the Trump administration's overturning of 2009 "endangerment finding," which was the basis for many regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions including former Democrat President Joe Biden's EV mandate. 

In 2009, under President Barack Obama, also a Democrat, the EPA issued the findings, which concluded six greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare and that emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to this pollution. 

Zeldin made the remarks Wednesday in a keynote speech at the Heartland Institute's Climate Conference in Washington, D.C.,

Zeldin described the reelection of President Donald Trump and his reversal of Biden's climate policies as a "vindication" that wasn't expected to happen for many decades. 

"You never accepted flawed, pessimistic assumptions. You never accepted tax dollars getting lit on fire," he said. "This morning  and today, all of you gathered here in D.C. is a moment to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate vindication."

On top of criticizing the previous administration's climate policies, Zeldin also discussed cutting funding to politicized groups pushing left-wing progressive policies. 

"I'm not advocating for that money to go from left-wing activist groups to right-wing activist groups," he said. "We're saying spend if a dollar is appropriated to remediate an environmental issue, then that is where that precious, hard-earned, U.S. taxpayer dollar should go."