The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 12 that it would cancel the government's legal interpretations that served as the basis for greenhouse gas measures in the U.S. These interpretations, created during the Obama administration in 2009, had supported various regulations concerning gasoline vehicles, power plants, and factories. The move underscores the Trump administration’s broader attempt to dismantle previous climate change measures that had been put in place, which they argue are burdensome for the automotive industry and consumers alike.

The cancellation particularly targets the government’s risk assessment framework, which defined what constitutes regulated pollutants in emissions standards. This framework was informed by reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and emphasized that rising levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane contribute to extreme weather conditions and public health risks. The revocation of these regulations opens the door to relax emissions standards, which critics warn will undermine efforts to combat climate change and further hurt the U.S. electric vehicle market. President Trump described this as the "largest regulatory relief" move in history.

In response, former President Obama criticized the cancellation, expressing that it would hinder progress towards safety, health, and climate change mitigation. Trump’s administration has continued to denote climate change measures as a "massive hoax," having previously withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and signaled a retreat from international climate cooperation. This latest action is viewed as a foundational overturning of regulatory frameworks that will be difficult to restore, even with a change in administration, potentially impacting U.S. influence and participation in global climate discussions for years to come.