The EPA Just Put America Back in the Driver’s Seat
On July 29, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a formal proposal to rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding”—the scientific basis for U.S. greenhouse‑gas regulation under the Clean Air Act. If finalized, this action would dismantle over $1 trillion in climate regulations and deliver $54 billion in annual savings by repealing all greenhouse‑gas standards for motor vehicles and engines.
This move reverses 16 years of regulatory uncertainty for automakers and families alike. Zeldin framed it as the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history, promising renewed clarity and relief for both manufacturers and consumers.
Why This Matters: Deregulation, Innovation & Consumer Freedom
The 2009 endangerment finding led to strict federal mandates governing vehicle designs, emissions, and fuel economy—effectively docking innovation and raising costs without congressional approval. Zeldin and supporters argue that rolling back these policies restores consumer choice, enabling Americans to buy safe, affordable vehicles without hidden taxes embedded in regulations.
The Fossil Fuel Reality: No Recovery Without Energy
As Craig Bushon argued in his 2023 piece “NO FOSSIL FUELS, NO USA ECONOMIC RECOVERY!”, fossil fuels remain the backbone of industrial development, transportation, and national defense. While renewables play an expanding role, they are intermittent and heavily reliant on weather conditions. Without fossil fuels providing a baseline of reliable energy, America cannot sustain manufacturing, transportation systems, or modern living standards.
Fossil fuels are not only widely available and relatively cheap, they also have the infrastructure and expertise already in place—making them indispensable to an economy that requires stability, scale, and security. Cutting them off abruptly in favor of renewables would undermine U.S. competitiveness, weaken national defense, and ultimately destabilize the economy.
The United States has made enormous progress in cleaner fossil fuel technologies such as carbon capture and advanced refining, proving that innovation—not regulation—offers the best path forward. The reality is this: without fossil fuels, there is no true path to economic recovery, energy independence, or sustained prosperity.
Global Perspective: The China and India Factor
America’s role in global emissions is small compared to nations like China and India, where coal‑fired plants are being built every month. The United States accounts for about 13% of global carbon dioxide emissions, while China alone contributes nearly 30%, with India close to 8%.
China currently operates more than 1,100 coal plants, with over 200 new facilities under construction or planned. India plans to expand coal capacity by nearly 20% by 2030. In contrast, the U.S. has been retiring coal plants for decades and has cut more emissions than any other major economy.
Even if America eliminated every single gasoline‑powered vehicle tomorrow, the impact on global emissions would be negligible compared to the rising output of our geopolitical rivals. Yet Washington burdens U.S. workers and automakers with climate mandates that China and India openly ignore. That is not climate leadership—it’s unilateral economic disarmament.
The CCP’s Electric Vehicle Trap
This is where the dangers of the Chinese Communist Party’s dominance in the electric vehicle sector come into sharp focus. As outlined in “The Dangers of the CCP Backing Electric Vehicles”, China’s aggressive push into EV manufacturing isn’t simply about economics—it’s about geopolitical leverage, human rights abuses, national security risks, and environmental damage.
China already controls most of the world’s supply chain for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt. Much of this mining is linked to forced labor, child labor, and environmental devastation in places like the Congo. By forcing American automakers into EV mandates, Washington effectively hands Beijing control over the raw materials and batteries that power our future transportation.
The CCP’s dominance in EVs also creates national security vulnerabilities. If the United States becomes dependent on Chinese‑controlled batteries, microchips, and supply chains, we expose ourselves to blackmail, espionage, and crippling supply disruptions in the event of geopolitical conflict. What is framed as “green policy” becomes, in practice, strategic dependency on an adversary.
And while EVs are sold as “zero emission,” the reality is that their production leaves a massive carbon and toxic waste footprint—much of it in China, where environmental standards are virtually nonexistent. The result is a false solution: one that shifts pollution offshore, rewards human rights abusers, and undermines American jobs.
Economics: Real Cost vs. Hidden Burden
The EPA projects $54 billion in annual savings for consumers and businesses from repealed regulatory burdens. For families, this means lower sticker prices on cars, reduced costs of compliance, and restored freedom to choose vehicles that meet their needs rather than Washington’s mandates. For automakers, it means innovation can be directed toward consumer demand, not federal paperwork.
The Inflection Point: Freedom to Compete
With this repeal, U.S. automakers regain the freedom to innovate based on market realities, not compliance engineering. That leads to more competitive pricing, wider consumer choice, and faster development of technologies—including cleaner fossil‑fuel innovations—without Washington’s straitjacket.
Repealing the endangerment finding is not about abandoning environmental responsibility. It’s about rebalancing power: letting the market—not unelected bureaucrats—determine how to achieve progress.
Reclaiming American Prosperity and Security
Fossil fuels built modern America. They powered factories, put cars in every driveway, built our military might, and raised the standard of living to heights unknown in human history. Repealing the endangerment finding acknowledges this truth: without affordable, reliable energy, there is no recovery, no growth, and no future.
But it also does something more: it protects America from falling into Beijing’s trap. By rejecting heavy‑handed EV mandates and restoring freedom of choice, we are defending not only our economy, but our sovereignty. The EPA’s repeal is a declaration that America will not trade its energy independence for Chinese dependence.
This is not a step backward. It is a return to constitutional boundaries, economic common sense, and national security. America cannot regulate itself into prosperity. But it can unleash innovation, safeguard liberty, and recognize that without energy freedom, there is no national freedom.
Disclaimer: This op‑ed reflects the views and opinions of the Craig Bushon Show and is intended for commentary and public discussion. It is not a statement of legal fact, and readers are encouraged to review official EPA documents, independent research, and multiple perspectives when evaluating energy policy.
