EPA Stops Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

On February 12, 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule rescinding its 2009 Endangerment Finding, which had established that greenhouse gases (GHGs) endanger public health and welfare. That finding served as the legal basis for regulating GHG emissions from vehicles under the Clean Air Act.

With the finding removed, the EPA states it no longer has authority regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles and engines.  agency has also repealed related federal standards requiring automakers to measure, limit, and report these emissions across light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.

As a result, vehicle and engine manufacturers will no longer be subject to federal requirements specific to greenhouse gas emissions for highway vehicles.

The EPA emphasized that this action applies only to greenhouse gases and does not affect regulations on other air pollutants—such as particulate matter and ozone-forming emissions—which remain in place. The EPA states this is the largest single de-regulatory action in U.S. history.