The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has voiced opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rescinding of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a move the EPA heralds as ‘the single largest deregulatory action in US history.’

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced the decision alongside President Trump at the White House, stating the rule eliminates the legal foundation for federal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles from model years 2012 through 2027 and beyond. The action the EPA projects will save Americans over $1.3t and restore consumer choice by removing mandates the agency characterizes as an ‘illegal push towards Electric Vehicle mandates.’

“The Endangerment Finding has been the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans,” Zeldin says. “Referred to by some as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the ‘climate change religion,’ the Endangerment Finding is now eliminated.”

Justifying its decision, the EPA cited recent Supreme Court rulings and concluding that Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act does not grant authority to regulate greenhouse gases for climate purposes. The agency further argues that even if the US eliminated all vehicle emissions, there would be ‘no material impact on global climate indicators through 2100.’

In response, ASLA president Brad McCauley, issued a statement strongly objecting to the repeal, which he comments “disregards decades of peer-reviewed climate science and removes the essential legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gas pollution.”

McCauley emphasizes that landscape architects are “legally and ethically bound to protect public health, safety and welfare,” requiring federal policy to be “grounded in rigorous, evidence-based data.” He warns that rolling back this framework “does not eliminate climate risk; it shifts the financial and physical burden onto communities, project owners and design professionals,” who must now manage “escalating heat, flooding and wildfire risks without a stable federal regulatory baseline.”

ASLA reaffirms its commitment to its Landscape Architecture 2040 climate action plan, which McCauley describes as “our profession’s permanent roadmap for protecting community investments and public safety.” The organization urges the EPA to reinstate science-based standards recognizing the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions.