Change the Chamber Statement on EPA’s Reckless Proposal to Gut Climate and Clean Air Protections
By The National Climate Fellows at Change the Chamber, June 12 , 2025
Change the Chamber calls on policymakers across the political spectrum to reject these reckless attacks on environmental safeguards and defend the right to clean air, clean water, and a livable future for all.
Yesterday, Administrator Zeldin and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially announced their goal to abandon critical climate, clean air, and public health protections that limit emissions from power plants and the toxic pollution they produce. Reversing these long-standing federal regulations is a monumental step in the wrong direction, and one that Change the Chamber strongly condemns.
EPA Administrator Zeldin claimed that “the sole purpose of these Biden-Harris administration regulations was to destroy industries that didn’t align with their narrow-minded climate change zealotry.” So far, neither Zeldin nor the EPA has proposed a replacement plan to protect Americans from the pollution these standards were designed to limit. This aligns with the Trump administration’s broader mission to slash so-called “wasteful” government spending, despite the fact that these safeguards are low-cost and deliver enormous public health benefits. The assessment of these protections as unnecessary ignores the EPA’s own prior findings, which projected thousands of lives saved, tens of thousands of workdays restored, and significant reductions in asthma symptoms and other pollution-related illnesses. The willingness to disregard that evidence, especially from the agency’s own data, reveals a rushed agenda with little consideration for real-world consequences. Trading away long-term sustainability and public health for short-term industry gain that benefits very few is a choice we unequivocally reject. Framing scientifically grounded protections as “zealotry” is a reckless dismissal of decades of evidence — and a clear signal that polluters, not people, are this administration’s priority.
The planned rollbacks target two Biden-era climate and clean air protections, one that limits carbon pollution from power plants, and another that restricts toxic emissions like mercury. These policies are not radical. They reflect decades of bipartisan environmental progress and enjoy broad public support. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, in particular, help safeguard clean air and drinking water, especially for rural communities. Framing these protections as attacks on industry ignores their true purpose: protecting public health. Repealing both of these standards is not a good-faith effort to improve energy policy, but a reckless decision that puts lives, the environment, our economy, and future generations at risk.
Beyond these specific rollbacks, the EPA’s proposal sets a dangerous precedent for dismantling other environmental protections. Zeldin’s justification signals a willingness to abandon science and public health in favor of big polluters. For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have worked to limit the damages inflicted by chemical and carbon emissions. Tearing down these bipartisan protections now serves only the short-term interests of a powerful few, while exposing millions of Americans to greater health and climate risks.
Energy security is a legitimate and pressing concern, and it deserves serious policy attention. But dismantling proven, science-based climate and clean air protections is not the solution. A responsible approach would support clean energy innovation and prioritize investments that reduce pollution and maintain reliability. By tearing down common-sense policy limiting the amount of toxic chemicals entering our air and water, this administration threatens the long-term health and safety of communities across the country. As a coalition of young adults, we want to remind the Administration and supporters of these changes that young people like us will be the ones to live with the consequences of the decisions made today, decades after those currently in power are no longer in their current positions. Change the Chamber calls on policymakers across the political spectrum to reject these reckless attacks on environmental safeguards and defend the right to clean air, clean water, and a livable future for all.
The National Climate Fellows at Change the Chamber
Change The Chamber is a nonpartisan coalition of young adults, 100+ student groups across the country, environmental justice and frontline community groups, and other allied organizations.