EPA’s move is a corruption of the agency’s mission to protect human health
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Michigan (February 13, 2026) — Rep. Debbie Dingell, Moms Clean Air Force, and local health advocates gathered on February 13 for a press conference to denounce the EPA’s unlawful decision to revoke the Endangerment Finding and clean vehicle standards. The Endangerment Finding provides the legal foundation for EPA regulations that protect people in the U.S. from some of the largest sources of climate pollution, including power plants and transportation. This repeal is an attempt to leave EPA powerless to limit the pollution that is heating up the planet and supercharging dangerous extreme weather.
Speakers outlined how this decision threatens the health of our families—especially our children—and drives up costs at a time when the prices of health care and insurance premiums are already soaring.
Watch the recording here.
QUOTES FROM SPEAKERS AND PARTNERS:
U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06)
“The Trump Administration’s move to eliminate the Endangerment Finding threatens Americans’ health, safety, and economic future. Dismantling the Endangerment Finding gives polluters a free pass at the expense of families across Michigan and our country, and will lead to continued climate chaos, worsening health outcomes, and higher costs for our constituents, particularly in communities already overburdened by pollution. I will fight with everything I have to uphold this safeguard to protect our valuable natural resources, wild landscapes, and American families.”
Teresa Homsi, MPH, Deputy Director, Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action (MICCA)
“When the EPA’s proposal was announced this past summer, Michigan was experiencing dangerously poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. Wildfires are just one example of the adverse health impacts the doctors, nurses, medical students, and health professionals in our network are seeing in their practice – between increased rates of Lyme disease, mold growth and injuries from flooding, and power outages from extreme weather events. We know greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate all these issues, and the EPA’s misguided decision-making eliminates our best tools for long-term public health protection.”
Deirdre Nieves, Director, Climate Solutions and Justice, West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC)
“As a longstanding environmental organization rooted in West Michigan, WMEAC has worked for decades to protect clean air, water, and healthy communities. We see firsthand how weakened climate safeguards harm our neighborhoods, particularly those facing the greatest environmental and health burdens. Record heat, wildfire smoke, and worsening health outcomes are already impacting our region, and this rollback deepens those risks.”
Elizabeth Hauptman, Michigan Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
“Favoring the interests of polluters is no way to Make America Healthy Again. Repealing the Endangerment Finding is both a moral and legal failure, and as a mother, I’m sickened by what this means for children like my asthmatic son who struggle to breathe when the air is dirty.”
Samantha Pickering, Michigan Environmental Council
“Our nation’s population health is best protected when strong, prevention-focused policies are rooted in science. Removing the endangerment finding and undermining decades of scientific evidence will put our communities at greater risk by worsening existing health disparities. This will hit frontline communities first and hardest, especially our children, seniors, and those living with chronic illness.”