SOURCE:
By Roksana Amid - February 27, 2025
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi stood along the waterfront in Glen Cove on Tuesday, Feb. 17, warning that Long Islanders cannot afford to ignore what he described as a sweeping rollback of federal climate protections.
“Climate change is real,” Suozzi repeated several times during the news conference, held just days after President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a policy that concluded greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
The Feb. 12 deregulatory action eliminates federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could pave the way for undoing regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities. The EPA said the decision would save taxpayers $1.3 trillion and remove regulatory burdens on manufacturers, including requirements to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions for vehicles and engines.
Suozzi, a Democrat who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, sharply disagreed.
“I don’t think we should be saying let’s celebrate clean, beautiful coal. That’s absurd,” he said. “This is very real, serious business. This is affecting the quality of your life.”
The Obama-era endangerment finding has served as the legal foundation for nearly all federal climate regulations under the Clean Air Act, including limits on emissions from motor vehicles, power plants and other major sources of pollution. Without it, environmental advocates warn, the federal government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions would be significantly weakened.
Suozzi cited a 2023 Moody’s report that ranked Long Island fourth among major American population centers for exposure to the physical and economic risks of climate change. He said residents are already feeling the impact through rising insurance premiums, higher food prices and more frequent and severe storms.
“We are here on Long Island, right by the water, and we’re subject to the effects of rising sea levels,” Suozzi said. “We have to wake up. This is very real.”
Several environmental leaders joined him at the news conference, condemning the federal government’s action and pledging legal challenges.
Pete Budden, senior advocate for hydrogen, climate and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said greenhouse gas emissions pose a clear danger to public health and should be regulated under the Clean Air Act. He announced that the NRDC would file a lawsuit in federal court to challenge the repeal.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, called the rollback a direct threat to both environmental sustainability and economic stability. She argued that climate change is already costing billions nationwide through extreme weather events and property damage.
Michelle Lapinel McAllister, programs director for the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, said the impacts of climate change are measurable and growing, stressing that sustained federal action is necessary to reduce pollution and protect communities.
Suozzi said he is working to build a coalition in Congress to strengthen environmental protections and preserve the Clean Air Act’s authority. He also said the rollback underscores the importance of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Legislation is the number one vehicle available to us now,” he said. “But people need to speak up.”
Standing along Hempstead Harbor, Suozzi framed the issue as both environmental and economic, calling climate change an “existential threat” to Long Island’s coastline, infrastructure and quality of life.
“This is affecting your wallet,” he said. “It’s affecting your property. It’s affecting your future.”