Wisconsin environmentalists warn of dire consequences after Trump administration repeals air pollution protections

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Environmentalists across the country are outraged with the President's decision to repeal longstanding regulations on air pollution.

In the White House Thursday, Feb. 12, the President and EPA administrator announced a repeal of what's called an endangerment finding, which regulates dangerous greenhouse gases.

The President touted projected savings on vehicle costs, but the announcement said little about the environmental impacts.

Fine particle pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs and blood, causing heart attacks, strokes, and premature death.

The endangerment finding began in 2009 and found six greenhouse gases are dangerous to human health under the Clean Air Act. That had allowed the EPA to limit pollution from the oil, gas, coal, and auto industries.

But that is now gone, and environmentalists across the country fear severe health consequences.

Amy Barrilleaux is the communications director for Clean Wisconsin. She told us, "This isn't about the EPA protecting people in Wisconsin or anywhere else. It's about protecting interest groups."

Environmentalists warn of dire consequences if the Trump administration's repeal of the endangerment finding is allowed to stand.

Since 2009, the finding has identified greenhouse gases that climate scientists say are responsible for extreme storms, flooding, tornadoes, exhaust, and pollution. Barrilleaux said, "That's what they're going to get if the endangerment finding goes away."

It's a critical piece of the Clean Air Act, which Congress passed in 1970, at a time when many major cities were engulfed in air pollution.

EPA analysis shows it prevents more than 160,000 premature deaths every year.

But an MIT study still shows "air pollution causes about 200,000 early deaths each year."

Vehicle emissions are the biggest culprit, causing 53,000 premature deaths.

But other threats, like energy emissions and wildfire smoke, are also dangerous.

Barrilleaux said, "We've made real strides. And that needs to continue. It needs to get better and better, not suddenly turn back the clock 16 years."

Danika Hill-Paulus co-founded the MKE Fresh Air Collective, a non-profit air quality monitoring organization with more than two dozen sensors in neighborhoods.

Hill-Paulus said, "I think we're going to notice some significant decreases in the quality of air that we breathe."

But there's another impact, she said. "And also, very importantly, the ability for the public to use federal regulation to push back."

Traditionally, the EPA has analyzed the costs of regulating pollution and the costs of expected health impacts. But that stopped last month.

Hill-Paulus said, "We do know that investing in preventative measures such as cleaner air reduce its health care costs down the road."

Barrilleaux sees it, too. "I think everyday people all across the state of Wisconsin are going to be harmed if this removal of the endangerment finding is allowed to stand."

Barrilleaux told us, "This is not the end of the story." She anticipates several legal challenges to the repeal will be filed very soon.