February 19, 2026 | 07:56 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump has taken the controversial step of revoking the 2009 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation declaring greenhouse gases a public health hazard. This action eliminates the legal basis in the United States for regulating carbon and methane emissions from various key industrial sectors, including transportation and power generation.
Trump delivered the declaration to revoke the 2009 EPA regulation directly at the White House on Thursday, February 12, 2026. For nearly 17 years, the regulation governing greenhouse gases has served as the regulatory basis for limiting emissions and harmful pollutants in local industries.
The US government argues that the 2009 EPA, established under President Barack Obama, has harmed industry. "President Donald Trump announced the largest deregulatory action in American history. This action decisively dismantles the flawed 2009 regulation, a regulation that burdens American families, businesses, and consumers," reads a press release on the White House website.
A February 15, 2025, Earth report outlined several direct impacts of Trump's actions, including the elimination of a single national standard for motor vehicle emissions, which is no longer bound by greenhouse gas restrictions.
While automakers can still produce cleaner vehicle models, the lack of regulation has the potential to create market uncertainty and fragmentation of standards between states.
In addition to vehicles, this regulation also loosens oversight of power plants and oil and gas wells, which are major sources of methane emissions. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that absorbs heat, so leaks from energy infrastructure can accelerate global warming in the short term.
Read: Prabowo-Trump Ties Hoped to Aid Indonesia's Trade Interests in the U.S.
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
