The Planet vs. The U.S. EPA — Which Side Are YOU On?

The future of the planet - or rather life on it - depends on our ability to react to and mitigate the effects of anthropogenic climate change. And that, for the most part means making smarter, cleaner, choices about how we travel, how we live, and how we power our lives. Now, the planet needs YOUR input to stop the U.S. from making one of the most dangerous decisions of a generation. A few weeks ago, we told you that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — now led by Republican Trump ally Lee Zeldin — was moving to dismantle any regulation seen as a threat to the fossil fuel or automotive industries. At the time, we noted his apparent determination to deliver on Donald Trump’s reported campaign pledge to fossil fuel executives: roll back environmental protections in exchange for campaign support. And we shared how the EPA, under Zeldin’s direction, is targeting the 2009 Endangerment Finding — the landmark determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare — along with every regulation built upon it. This, at a moment when climate change is accelerating: storms growing more violent and frequent, fire seasons starting earlier and lasting longer, flash floods wiping out entire towns. Yet the agency — which in this context could just as easily stand for the “Enriching Polluters Association” — wants to strip away protections designed to limit air pollution. For once, though, they are at least following the formal rulemaking process — and that’s an opportunity. It means the public has a chance to speak up. Here’s how you can get involved — and why you must. ---- ⏱️ Chapter Breakdown: 00:00 - Cautions 01:33 - Introduction 04:32 - The Comment Process on New Rules 09:04 - Welcome the Super Happy Fun EPA 11:16 - The Lies at the Heart of the New Rule 13:36 - Basics of Making Comments 15:49 - The First EPA Argument 17:48 - The Second EPA Argument 20:48 - The Third EPA Argument 21:50 - The EPA's Climate Argument 23:42 - The Scientific Consensus 24:47 - The Impacts of the Rule Change 26:00 - The California Waivers 28:40 - What should you do? 30:08 - The Things to Include in Your Comment 32:56 - And then...? 33:52 - Thanks and Credits ---- 👥 Today’s Sponsors 🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org ⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262 🎁 Win an EV with CCAN Action Fund! ➡️ https://bit.ly/transportevolvedEVraffle -- ✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources ❤️ Support the Show 📰 https://www.transportevolved.com 🔥 https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved ☕ https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved 📺 https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved 👕 https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/ 🛍️ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm ₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH 💬 Join the Conversation 🐘 https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show 💬 https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn 🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social 🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2 ---- 🎙️ Credits: Host and Script: Kate Walton-Elliott Editor, Colorist: Kate Walton-Elliott, Vi Horton. Art and Animation: Erin Carlie; Kate Walton-Elliott Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Music supplied through Artlist.io Film audio at start taken from The Decagon Conspiracy (2003). Used with permission. © Transport Evolved LLC, 2025 ---- 🔗 Links: Submit Comments Here: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194-0093 Read the Proposed ‘Rule’ Here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194-0093 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969713001290 - Air pollution and health risks due to vehicle traffic https://www.jstor.org/stable/20053815 - The Health Costs of Motor-Vehicle-Related Air Pollution https://academic.oup.com/restud/article-abstract/89/6/2872/6529413 - The Impact of Car Pollution on Infant and Child Health: Evidence from Emissions Cheating https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032122009819 - Impacts of the large-scale use of passenger electric vehicles on public health in 30 US. metropolitan areas https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721077330 - Impacts of vehicle emission on air quality and human health in China https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01219-0 - Air quality, health and equity implications of electrifying heavy-duty vehicles https://www.epa.gov/climate-change/endangerment-and-cause-or-contribute-findings-greenhouse-gases-under-section-202a https://earthjustice.org/experts/hana-vizcarra/a-legal-analysis-of-the-trump-epas-plan-to-revoke-the-endangerment-finding https://climateanalytics.org/publications/cat-global-update-as-the-climate-crisis-worsens-the-warming-outlook-stagnates https://firststreet.org/research-library/atrocious-air