Connecticut leaders are criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency for repealing a key scientific finding in the fight against climate change.
The “endangerment finding,” which dates back to 2009, states greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles pose a threat to the public health of current and future generations.
It’s been a key part of the effort to fight climate change. Without the finding, the federal government isn’t required to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, putting Connecticut and other states at risk for increased levels of air pollution, warming waters and extreme weather events.
“The Trump administration has made it clear they do not care about the impacts greenhouse gas emissions have on the health of our communities, especially our children, seniors, and vulnerable populations,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement.
The Trump administration says the finding hurts industry and the economy and that the Obama and Biden administrations twisted science to determine that greenhouse gases are a public health risk.
Although the repeal is expected to face legal challenges, scientists and advocates in Connecticut are already sounding the alarm on what the repeal could mean for the state.
Impact on air quality
Connecticut, often referred to as the “tailpipe of the nation,” already has some of the worst air quality in the country. That’s due to a combination of car emissions both in and out of state and factory pollution from the Midwest, along with wildfire smoke from Canada.
For the first time in years, the state received an F grade in the American Lung Association’s latest “State of the Air” report for unhealthy levels of particle pollution.
Any steps to stop curbing greenhouse gas emissions will only make Connecticut’s air pollution worse, said Dr. David Hill, a pulmonologist in Waterbury and chair of the American Lung Association’s board of directors.
“What we'll see in Connecticut is more bad air quality days when it's not safe to exercise outdoors. We'll see more childhood asthma. We'll see more emergency room visits for people with chronic lung disease and heart disease. None of this is good for public health,” Hill said.
More heat waves and flooding possible, experts warn
Connecticut is already spending millions of dollars on climate-related health care costs every year, according to Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
“Greenhouse gas emissions, including from vehicles, contribute to air pollution that exacerbates respiratory illness,” Dykes said in a statement.
“Walking away from protecting the environment and public health will cost us,” she said.
The repeal could also cause more heat waves, floods and droughts in Connecticut.
Heat waves will start earlier in the year and will be more frequent and more intense, according to Kai Chen, faculty director at the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health.
Coastal and inland flooding will occur more regularly in addition to more wildfires.
“Ten years ago, people didn’t even recognize wildlife smoke can actually impact the East coast, but now we see it almost every year,” Chen said, noting that wildlife smoke can travel hundreds of miles.
Fishery impacts could worsen
Increased emissions from tailpipes, with their mix of sulfur and nitrous oxides, will raise the level of acidity in Connecticut’s waterways. That acidity, combined with warming waters, raises the metabolism of juvenile fish, causing them to need to eat more frequently.
But warming waters also hurt the timing and abundance of plankton, which fish need to eat. Without plankton, young fish die from starvation or are more likely to be eaten by predators.
“They look terrible and then they starve,” said Bill Lucey, Long Island soundkeeper for Save the Sound, an environmental advocacy organization.
“There’s a number of permits that are not being fished right now because there just aren’t enough fish for them to go after,” Lucey said, noting that some commercial fleets in Stonington have moved further north to Massachusetts to follow the fish.
“If you look at the commercial fleet, it’s a shadow of its former self,” Lucey said.
What’s next?
The repeal could face a lengthy legal battle with multiple states, including Connecticut, threatening legal action.
“We will fight this decision just like we have done every time this administration has threatened the health and prosperity of the people of Connecticut,” Lamont said.
“The next step is now the legal fight in court,” wrote Attorney General Williamn Tong in a statement.
“We will be in this fight for as long as it takes,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
