Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Representative Mark Messmer joined top federal officials on Monday to announce a major reversal of a key climate policy dating back to the Obama administration. The move, led by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, targets the 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” a regulation that has long underpinned aggressive federal action on greenhouse gas emissions.
Standing alongside Zeldin and Wright, Rep. Messmer praised the decision as a critical step toward rolling back what he called an era of overregulation and anti-business environmental policy.
“The Endangerment Finding has long been a Democrat tool to issue burdensome regulations that ignore commonsense science in pursuit of radical Green New Deal aligned agendas,” said Rep. Messmer. “I applaud Secretary Wright, Administrator Zeldin, and the entire Trump Administration for making sure we cut the red tape that is unnecessarily impeding American business, while also preserving our nation’s precious natural resources.”
The Endangerment Finding, first issued by the EPA in 2009, declared carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as pollutants harmful to public health. This designation gave the federal government broad authority to regulate emissions, which critics say has stifled domestic energy development and economic growth.
Energy Secretary Wright backed the repeal by stressing the need for practical and affordable energy policy, rather than what he described as ideologically driven mandates. EPA chief Zeldin echoed those sentiments, framing the move as a return to rational environmental governance.
Supporters of the repeal argue that the Obama-era framework was based on outdated or politicized science, and that it became the bedrock for the Biden administration’s expansion of climate rules, which they claim have led to higher energy prices and job losses in key sectors such as manufacturing and fossil fuel production.
According to Rep. Messmer, Hoosier businesses—especially those in energy-intensive industries—have been hit hard by federal mandates driven by the Endangerment Finding. He described the repeal as not only a boost to Indiana’s economy, but also a necessary course correction for national energy policy.
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“By embracing credible scientific policies over Green New Deal senselessness, the Trump Administration has taken a bold step in protecting Hoosier businesses and all Americans from massive federal overreach,” Messmer added.
Critics of the repeal, meanwhile, warn that removing the finding could weaken the federal government’s ability to address climate change. Environmental groups have expressed concern that reversing the designation undermines long-standing scientific consensus on the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite the backlash, the repeal marks a significant policy shift under the Trump Administration’s second term, signaling continued pushback against legacy climate regulations from previous Democratic administrations.
As the political divide over climate policy deepens, Rep. Messmer’s stance underscores a broader Republican effort to reshape environmental governance with a focus on economic freedom and reduced federal control.
