Inside a trucking warehouse on the far east side, safe from the sweltering July heat, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Trump administration plans to eliminate a 2009 declaration that labeled greenhouse gas emissions as a public health threat.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin hailed the decision to repeal the “endangerment finding” as “the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.”
The Obama-era ruling, which determined that carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases endanger public health, has been the central basis of climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources.
Zeldin said that the federal agency is merely following legal precedent set by the Supreme Court in recent decisions. In the case of West Virginia v. EPA, for example, the nation’s highest court ruled in 2022 that the EPA exceeded its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
Those standing behind Zeldin as he made the announcement on Tuesday, July 29, included Republican Gov. Mike Braun, Attorney General Todd Rokita and Suzanne Jaworowski, the state secretary of energy and natural resources.
“Today truly represents not just a course correction, but a reaffirmation of common sense government and moving away from years of regulatory overreach, that I think we’ve all seen and felt, whether it was at the grocery store or the gas pump,” Jaworowski said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks at a press conference on July 29, 2025, at Kenworth of Indianapolis East, about a major rollback of greenhouse gas regulations announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America 
Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Trucking Association. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America 
Indiana Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Suzanne Jaworowski. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America 
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America 
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Credit: Brett Phelps/Mirror Indy/CatchLight Local/Report for America
But three former EPA leaders and many environmental organizations say the repeal of the finding will endanger the health of millions of Americans.
“Repealing the Endangerment Finding gives more power to polluters and weakens protections for Indiana families, especially at-risk populations like children, the elderly and those affected by respiratory diseases,” said Megan Robertson, executive director of Indiana Conservation Voters, a statewide nonprofit focused on clean energy, air and water.
A 2025 report from the American Lung Association concluded that the Indianapolis metro area ranks 54th worst in the nation for ozone pollution and 21st worst in the nation for particle pollution.
‘Common sense regulation’
The theme of the remarks in Indianapolis was that undoing the 2009 finding was “common sense,” a phrase uttered 16 times between five speakers.
Zeldin argued that the EPA oversimplified the effects of carbon dioxide on human health and the environment, and that the EPA made “many, many mental leaps” to reach its conclusion.
The proposed repeal of the EPA ruling is subject to a 45-day public comment period before it can be officially rescinded.
Zeldin’s visit marks the second time a prominent Trump administration official has come to Indianapolis to announce a significant change in policy.
In April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. came to the Indiana State Library to show support for a group of executive orders by Braun that aimed to “Make Indiana Healthy Again,” including by limiting the use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called SNAP for short. The changes required federal approval.
‘Why are you doing this?’
Indy area residents like Mike Oles, an activist from Brownsburg who is involved in Democratic politics, wondered why none of his fellow Democrats showed up to the trucking warehouse to protest the EPA’s decision.
Oles and his 17-year-old daughter tried to attend the press conference but were told that it was a private event.
Standing just outside the facility on a busy stretch of 30th Street, they held signs that said “Clean Air Now.”
“These are rich people getting a little bit richer, while the rest of Indiana suffers,” Oles told reporters after the event.
Then, he abruptly stopped talking to confront U.S. Rep. Jim Baird as the Republican congressman from western Indiana was trying to leave the event in a pickup truck bearing his name.
“Baird! Baird! Hey Baird!” Oles shouted as the truck attempted to leave the parking lot.
Baird rolled down the passenger window to hear what Oles had to say.
Oles asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Baird drove away before Oles could get an answer.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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