WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Rob Menendez (NJ-08) led all Democratic Members of Congress and Senators from New Jersey in demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) immediately reverse course on plans to undo the agency’s Endangerment Finding, which forms the bedrock of the EPA’s work to protect communities against the effects of climate change.
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the members demanded that the agency uphold the Endangerment Finding and continue to acknowledge that greenhouse gas emissions are detrimental to families and communities in New Jersey and across the country.
“This Administration has shown that they will stop at nothing to tear down environmental protections and ignore the overwhelming scientific consensus around climate change. We will not tolerate it,” said Congressman Rob Menendez.“Climate change undermines the health and wellbeing of our communities, a reality that New Jerseyans live with every day. The EPA must reverse course on this dangerous proposal and recommit to doing the important, science-based work that the American people rely on, protecting all of us from worsening natural disasters, extreme heat, and floods.”
“New Jerseyans know all too well the devastating impacts of the worsening climate crisis to our cities, coastlines, and communities,” said Congressman Frank Pallone. “No community is unscathed, and yet the Trump Administration is determined to ignore the science, put polluters over people, and make the crisis even worse. That’s why we’re calling on the EPA to abandon this dangerous proposal so we can protect New Jerseyans health, pocketbooks, jobs, homes, and lives.”
The Endangerment Finding, issued in 2009, is a legal and scientific finding under the Clean Air Act. It affirms that greenhouse gas emissions and resulting climate change endanger public health and welfare. Presently, the Endangerment Finding is the foundation of the EPA’s regulations on greenhouse gas pollution. Revoking it lays the groundwork for future deregulation of climate change-causing pollutants.
This letter pushes back against EPA’s attempt to repeal the finding by illustrating the ways that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to New Jersey’s families and communities. It covers the effects of intensifying hurricanes and natural disasters, including the estimated $8 billion in additional damage caused by climate change during Hurricane Sandy. It covers the social, environmental, and economic costs of worsening flooding, including the estimated 250,000 homes in New Jersey that could face chronic flooding by the end of the century. And it covers the threats posed by wildfires, extreme heat, changing precipitation patterns, and numerous other climate-driven challenges that put New Jerseyans in harm’s way.
For full text of the letter, click here.
Congressman Rob Menendez has represented New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District in Congress since 2023. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittees, on the Environment, Energy, and Communications and Technology.
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