WASHINGTON, March 17, 2025—US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Zeldin has proposed the wholesale dismantling of environmental protections in America through regulatory rollbacks that would increase pollution and endanger people and the planet. But let’s be clear: making pronouncements does not change the law or erase the rules on the books. 

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) issues the following statement: 

The EPA cannot remove protections for clean air and water or eliminate controls on toxics by fiat without due process, public comment, and adequate justification. The measures proposed are so facially at odds with the agency’s purpose that it’s inconceivable they could withstand scrutiny. More importantly, no action by this administration can erase the abundant facts, clear science, and indisputable evidence that fossil fuels are behind the planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change and that certain industry practices harm people and the environment.

If companies take Zeldin’s announcement as an invitation to return to dirtier and more dangerous operations, they do so with full knowledge of the harm that will ensue, and they will be held accountable.

The rule of law endures — not by the will of those in power, but by the vigilance of those committed to defending it. CIEL is ready to fight alongside communities, advocates, and all who refuse to let this administration and the corporate greed it serves to strip away these vital protections on which our lives and the lives of future generations depend.