As an elected leader, my duty is to safeguard the health and well-being of the residents I serve. It is a responsibility I take seriously, and it is why I am raising the alarm about a dangerous move in Washington spearheaded by big polluters that threatens not just my constituents, but all Pennsylvanians and frankly, all Americans.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is quietly launching a direct assault on the most consequential tool it has to combat climate change and protect our health: the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
This finding is the scientific determination stating that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare.
The Endangerment Finding has been upheld by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court.
In fact, this finding came about after the Supreme Court ordered the EPA to look into human consequences of greenhouse gasses, determining federal law actually requires the EPA to regulate harmful emissions.
Today the EPA seeks to undue this scientific finding to get out of protecting our air from harmful and toxic emissions.
Eliminating Clean Car & Clean Truck Standards
Arguably, the most important regulations derived from the Endangerment Finding are the national Clean Car and Clean Truck standards.
These standards account for the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions regulated under the Endangerment Finding. They are the primary mechanism for curbing tailpipe emissions—something we all breathe every day.
Without these enforceable standards, the Finding is reduced to an impotent declaration, an acknowledgment of danger without the power to prevent it.
The American Lung Association has issued a grave warning against this dangerous retreat.
Harold Wimmer, its President and CEO, has stated unequivocally: "Exposure to traffic-related pollution is a serious health hazard to those living in communities with heavy truck traffic... the mixture of emissions has been linked to poor birth outcomes, reduced lung and cognitive development, and worsening of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and increased risk of dementia, cancer and premature death."
The ALA also found that transitioning to zero-emission trucks could save nearly 67,000 lives nationally by 2050.
These are not abstract statistics, but a measure of the human cost at stake.
Worsening Climate Impacts for Pennsylvanians
Furthermore, by allowing more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, this rollback would drastically accelerate the climate crisis already battering our state.
Pennsylvania has already warmed nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit on average, and projections show we could see an increase of up to 5.9 degrees by 2050 without action.
This heating also fuels dangerous floods, with the heaviest storms now dropping 60% more rain than was normal in the 1960s.
In 2020 alone, PA lost $2.8 billion to flooding. This extreme flooding washes out roads, farms, and entire neighborhoods with increasing frequency.
Flooding has become so frequent and so extreme that the cost of flood insurance for PA residents has already doubled from $1,000/year to over $2,000 in just the past 4 years.
Beyond these immediate threats lie less visible but equally devastating impacts.
Warmer temperatures allow invasive insects like the hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer to thrive, killing our forests and devastating ecosystems.
They also expand the range of vector-borne diseases, posing new public health risks.
And increasingly, our skies are filled with hazardous wildfire smoke from climate-induced fires across Canada and the western United States, turning our air toxic even when our own factories are idle and our cars are parked.
The EPA Wants to Hear From You
From 1980-2024, there were 114 confirmed weather/climate disaster events each with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Pennsylvania.
Our state is suffering, and we can’t combat this alone.
The EPA’s mission is enshrined in its name: protection.
This proposal to gut the Endangerment Finding by eliminating the Clean Car and Clean Truck standards subverts that mission.
It represents a conscious choice to ignore established science and the dire warnings of medical professionals, prioritizing a polluting past over a prosperous, healthy future for Pennsylvania.
The public comment period on this dangerous proposal is our chance to stop it.
The EPA has a responsibility to protect all Americans from escalating climate threats, and we must demand it fulfills that duty.
I strongly urge every Pennsylvanian to submit a public comment to the EPA before the September 22nd deadline.
Tell the agency to abandon this dangerous effort to weaken the Endangerment Finding and instead prioritize our health, our environment, and our collective well-being.
Our future depends on it.
You can submit a comment by Sept 22nd here.
Tom Fink, Councilmember, Camp Hill Borough Council, Cumberland County.
[Posted: September 16, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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