By Tiffany Williams –
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut leaders reacted strongly Thursday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final decision to rescind the endangerment finding, a key Obama-era determination that allowed the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act.
Governor Ned Lamont criticized the move, saying it demonstrates a disregard for the health of communities, particularly children, seniors, and vulnerable populations. “Connecticut has a proud, bipartisan history of standing up for environmental safeguards, and we will fight this decision, just like we have done every time this administration has threatened the health and prosperity of the people of Connecticut,” Lamont said. He emphasized that residents deserve clean air and safe communities for raising families.
Attorney General William Tong framed the decision as siding with fossil fuel interests. “Over and over again, we see Donald Trump siding with Big Oil. He wants to sell out future generations of Americans for short-term profits for fossil fuel companies and the world’s biggest polluters. But we are going to stop him – the science and the law are firmly on our side,” Tong said. He added that Connecticut plans to challenge the EPA’s move in court, citing a previous legal victory that forced the agency to retract what he called “shoddy science.”
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes highlighted the public health implications. She noted that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to poor air quality, exacerbate respiratory illnesses, and impose tens of millions of dollars in healthcare costs annually in the state. “Walking away from protecting the environment and public health will cost us. This reckless action puts us at greater risk for climate-related impacts, such as the dangerous and costly extreme weather events we’ve experienced in recent years, making Connecticut less safe,” Dykes said.
The decision to rescind the endangerment finding marks a significant shift in federal environmental policy, reversing a scientific determination widely recognized as linking greenhouse gases to harm to human health and the environment. Connecticut officials vowed legal and regulatory opposition, signaling an ongoing battle over state and federal authority on climate and air quality protections.