Rep. Doggett Leads Texas Members in Opposing EPA Deregulation of Air Pollutants

The Congressman also joined environmental advocates and Senate and House climate leaders to forcefully push back against science denialism. Watch his remarks here.

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C.-As President Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to roll back regulations to address climate change and protect public health, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), led most Texas Democratic Congressmembers this week in opposing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's proposal to eliminate any federal ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and resultant protections.

Established in 2009, the endangerment finding is a science-based determination by the EPA that six greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, including carbon dioxide, are harmful to public health and welfare. Even with modest existing regulations, Texans continue to suffer from intensifying extreme weather that costs lives and billions in infrastructure and property damage.

In the letter, the Texas members write, "The climate crisis is not a far-off event or a theory-it is already here and endangering our constituents. Extreme storms and temperatures create dangerous conditions for Texans. This July, Central Texas floods exacerbated by climate change killed at least 137 people. Greenhouse gas emissions worsened the damages of Hurricane Harvey, as half of residential flooding was attributed to climate change. Rising temperatures lead to rising deaths, with the number of heat-related deaths in Texas breaking state records consecutively from 2020 to 2023. Tick- and mosquito-borne tropical diseases further threaten Texans' health as diseases move northward and threaten our health infrastructure. It is clear that regulating greenhouse gas emissions is necessary to protect human health and the environment."

The Trump Administration's proposal to undo standards backed by decades of scientific evidence is not only a giveaway for our nation's biggest polluters, but it will undoubtedly force American families to pay more for health care because such pollutants can lead to heart disease, respiratory illnesses like asthma, cancer, and more.

Texans can still voice their individual concerns about filing a comment on the harmful EPA proposal through next Monday, September 22. To submit a comment, click here.

The full letter can be read here.