"The E.P.A.’s killing of the “endangerment finding” caps a year of deregulation that is likely to make cars thirstier for gas and less competitive globally, experts say."

"The momentous end to the federal government’s legal authority to fight climate change makes it official.

The United States will essentially have no laws on the books that enforce how efficient America’s passenger cars and trucks should be.

That’s the practical result of the Trump administration’s yearlong parade of regulatory rollbacks, capped on Thursday by its killing of the “endangerment finding,” the scientific determination that required the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases because of the threat to human health.

“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,” said Margo T. Oge, who served as the E.P.A.’s top vehicle emissions regulator under three presidents and has since advised both automakers and environmental groups."

Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times February 16, 2026. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"The First Casualty of Trump’s Climate Action Repeal: The U.S. EV Transition" (Inside Climate News) [3]

"EPA Ends Credits For Automatic Start-Stop Vehicle Ignition, A Feature Zeldin Says ‘Everyone Hates’" (AP) [4]