SEATTLE – This week, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell submitted a public comment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strongly opposing their proposal to repeal all federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act and rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
The EPA’s landmark 2009 Endangerment Finding is a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy affirming that GHG emissions endanger public health and welfare by contributing to air pollution and climate change. The decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court (Massachusetts v. EPA, 2007) and by subsequent court rulings. The EPA’s proposal fails to consider the substantial costs and impacts that cities like Seattle are already experiencing and will continue to bear if EPA abandons all federal standards for GHG emissions from motor vehicles. The City of Seattle asserts that:
- EPA cannot ignore the costs of extreme heat.
- EPA cannot ignore the health impacts and costs of wildfire smoke, which have increased in frequency and degraded our local air quality
- EPA cannot ignore the costs of flooding and sea-level rise.
- EPA cannot ignore the cost of drought risk and hydropower volatility.
- EPA cannot ignore the strain climate change places on electric system reliability.
“From deadly heat domes to choking wildfire smoke, dangerous flooding and sea level rise, and the loss of snowpack and glaciers that fuel our hydropower dependent electric system and support our regional drinking water supply, Seattle communities are already paying the price for inaction on the climate crisis,” said Mayor Harrell. “President Trump’s EPA wants to walk away from its legal and moral responsibility to act on climate. Climate change is not a distant threat, and if the federal government won’t lead, cities like Seattle must.”
The EPA’s draft proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards is proceeding under the full rulemaking procedures of the federal Administrative Procedure Act, including publication of a proposed rule, solicitation of public comment, and a public hearing which was held August 19–22. The EPA will now review and respond to comments before issuing a final decision.
In addition to Seattle, other local jurisdictions have commented and or testified on the EPA’s dangerous proposal, including WA State Attorney General Nick Brown, WA State Department of Ecology, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance.
Read the letter here.
What City Leaders are Saying:
Michelle Caulfield, Interim Director, Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment
“Rolling back federal greenhouse gas standards ignores the real climate impacts people across the nation are already facing. The science is clear: communities, particularly those overburdened by pollution, are bearing the brunt of the health impacts of carbon pollution and cities are on the frontlines of the response. Ignoring reality won’t shield our communities from rising costs, rising seas, or rising temperatures.”
Dawn Lindell, General Manager and CEO, Seattle City Light
“The Seattle area’s economy and residents depend on electricity from hydropower that comes from water stored in snowpack and glaciers. The Northwest Mountain ranges are experiencing declining snowpack due to climate change, making planning efforts for hydropower unpredictable. Our hydroelectric facilities also face climate-related risks, such as the 2015 and 2023 wildfires in the North Cascades National Park. Removing these standards puts our economy, infrastructure and the planet at risk.”
Adiam Emery, Interim Director, Seattle Department of Transportation
“As a transportation agency, we see firsthand how climate change is disrupting the systems people use every day — our streets, bridges, sidewalks, and transit networks. Extreme heat and wildfire smoke make it harder and more costly to keep these systems safe and reliable. Federal vehicle emission standards are critical safeguards, and abandoning them would shift the burden of climate inaction onto local governments and residents. In Seattle, we are advancing One Seattle solutions across departments to build a safer, cleaner, and more resilient future.”
Andrew Lee, General Manager and CEO, Seattle Public Utilities
“Climate change is impacting Seattle Public Utilities and the 1.6 million people that we serve around the clock. It is increasing wildfire and drought risk in our critical watersheds and intensifying flood risk in our neighborhoods. We want Seattle communities and all of our people and businesses to thrive. That means acknowledging climate change and taking steps to directly address the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to it.”