President Obama reacts to Trump rolling back environmental rule he established in 2009: ‘We’ll be less safe’

The NAACP condemned the EPA repeal, warning that it will leave Black and other frontline communities in a “uniquely tenuous situation.”

The Trump administration officially repealed a landmark finding, issued more than 15 years ago under President Barack Obama, that has been used to combat the negative effects of the climate change crisis in the United States.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced the repeal during a White House press conference, calling the rule, known as the endangerment rule, a “disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.”

In 2009, the endangerment rule found that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, endanger human life. The scientific finding has been the federal government’s only tool to limit exposure to climate pollution from vehicles, power plants, and other industries that contribute to global warming. 

“Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules,” President Obama said in a statement. America’s first Black president warned, “Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.”

The environmental action was swiftly condemned by the NAACP, which said that it would “leave Black and other frontline communities in a uniquely tenuous situation.”

“Like most actions within this administration, this decision lacks any regard for everyday people and seems to be a play to deepen its loyalty to fossil fuel companies and billionaires who have proven that they are willing to take actions that endanger human life,” said NAACP Director of Environmental and Climate Justice, Abre’ Conner. “This, coupled with the administration’s decision to no longer consider life saved and deaths prevented by air pollution, demonstrates who and what is really important to this administration.”

When asked on Thursday about the decision’s impact on public health and the environment, Trump dismissed concerns about climate change as a “scam.”

“It has nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, giant scam. This was a rip-off of the country by Obama and Biden,” said the president.

Conner of the NAACP vowed that the civil rights organization would “stand with the people and remind this administration that no action will silence the people, the scientists, and the advocates who have made it clear that we are indeed in a climate crisis.”

She added, “We will not stop fighting to ensure that frontline communities have clean air and a sustainable future.”

A 2024 study from Stanford Medicine found that Black Americans are significantly more likely to die from causes related to air pollution, compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

According to the study, “[Black Americans] face a double jeopardy: more exposure to polluted air along with more susceptibility to its adverse health effects because of societal disadvantages.” The researchers say reducing air pollution could be a “powerful and achievable way” to address the inequities facing Black communities.