Tell EPA Administrator Zeldin that Air Pollution is Still Dangerous

rabinelliott
May 9
3 min read

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For over 50 years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has protected our health and environment. The agency’s research and regulations have cleared our skies of smog, land of pollutants, and water of contaminants. But now, Administrator Lee Zeldin is threatening to undo these accomplishments. Right now, his plan to review and potentially dismantle a critical climate rule — the "Endangerment Finding" — could undermine the EPA's ability to limit heat-trapping greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Tell Administrator Zeldin that the Endangerment Finding is based on science and law and must not be revoked.

Background

In 2009, the EPA reviewed the evidence and determined that “six greenhouse gases taken in combination endanger both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations.” This Endangerment Finding laid the legal foundation for EPA to regulate these gases which are emitted by cars, trucks, power plants and other industries, under the Clean Air Act.

But on March 12, 2025, Administrator Zeldin announced “the biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.” He plans to reconsider essential environmental regulations, including the Endangerment Finding in order to implement President Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, which is intended to reduce regulation of the energy industry and promote fossil fuel production. This review could result in revocation of the Endangerment Finding and rollbacks of regulations based on the finding, undermining our health and industries that plan their operations based on these regulations.

Why Now

Zeldin has been cozying up to the fossil fuel industry, making clear the priority is corporate profits over the well-being of our families and communities and mitigating the climate crisis. According to the 2023 National Climate Assessment, the effects of human-caused climate change are already “far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States.” As our planet faces increasingly intense storms, deadly wildfires, and catastrophic floods, we must speak up now and oppose this plan to review and potentially rollback one of EPA’s core climate protections. In April, 180 House Democrats sent a letter to Administrator Zeldin demanding that he halt attacks on the public health and well-being of the American people. At a press conference on April 21, Administrator Zeldin stated that there will be a process to reconsider the Endangerment Finding.

Jewish Perspectives

For millennia, Jewish law (halacha) has unequivocally affirmed the protection of God’s creation and human health. Pikuach nefesh—saving a life—overrides even the sanctity of Shabbat. The Talmud (Bava Batra 23a) codifies sakanat nefashot (danger to life) as mandating that harmful, smoky, or foul-smelling industries must cease their activities if they endanger neighbors. Contemporary scholars, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the most famous Orthodox Jewish legal authority of the 20th century, extended this ruling to invisible and potential threats. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch is known as the intellectual founder of Modern Orthodoxy and for his innovative and influential commentary on the Torah. His comment exposes the irony in Secretary Zeldin’s recent “climate religion” remark: “There is no one nearer to idolatry than one who… presumes to have the right, because he has the might, to destroy [God’s Creation]” (Horeb, pp. 397–398).

Sample Message to Administrator Lee Zeldin

Dear Administrator Zeldin,

I urge you to immediately withdraw your plan to reconsider EPA's Endangerment Finding under the Clean Air Act.

This Finding is based on sound scientific evidence and the law. Regulations to limit greenhouse gases are needed to protect our health, security, and prosperity.

I am concerned about climate change because… [Insert your own story here.]

As a Jew, I know that Jewish law and tradition unequivocally affirms the protection of God’s creation and human health. [Or insert your own Jewish perspective.]

The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, not polluters. Please do the right thing.

Sincerely,[Your Name]

How to Contact Administrator Zeldin

Submit your message here: zeldin.lee@epa.gov

Please send a copy of your message to your Members of Congress. Urge them to use their influence to stop Administrator Zeldin from implementing his plan to reconsider the Endangerment Finding.

Learn More

EPA Launches Historic Deregulatory Initiative: Key Legal Risks and Strategic Takeaways, National Law Review
E.P.A. Targets Dozens of Environmental Rules as It Reframes Its Purpose, New York Times
Zeldin Wants to “Reconsider” the EPA’s GHG Endangerment Finding. He Can’t Bury the Facts on Climate Science, Union of Concerned Scientists
Revoking EPA’s endangerment finding – the keystone of US climate policies – won’t be simple and could have unintended consequences, The Conversation
9 Questions About the 2009 Endangerment Finding Reconsideration, Baker Botts
Under Trump, the EPA Takes First Step to Torpedo “Endangerment Finding” on Greenhouse Gases, Sierra Club
Can Trump Reverse the Climate Endangerment Finding? NRDC