LAND

Updates from ASLA

ASLA 2024 / nobilephoto

ASLA Opposes EPA’s Proposal to Rescind the Endangerment Finding

On September 22, 2025, ASLA submitted comments to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin strongly opposing the agency’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. This determination, rooted in decades of scientific research, established that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane endanger public health and welfare and provided the legal foundation for regulating emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA reaffirmed this finding in 2016, yet the agency is now proposing to repeal it without presenting any new scientific evidence.

ASLA’s position is clear: eliminating the Endangerment Finding would strip away the foundation for regulating climate pollution and threaten human health, safety, and economic well-being. The science shows that greenhouse gas emissions are fueling extreme heat, record flooding, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, and other catastrophic impacts. In 2024, the United States endured its hottest year on record, with more than 1,000 heat-related deaths. Flooding already costs the nation between $180 billion and $500 billion annually, a number that will only grow as emissions rise. Meanwhile, global biodiversity loss has reached a crisis point, with 73 percent of wildlife gone since 2024 and one-third of land plants at risk of extinction.

ASLA’s comments urged the EPA to uphold the Endangerment Finding and continue making decisions grounded in science. The letter points out that landscape architects are leaders in planning and designing projects that mitigate and adapt to the impacts of severe weather events; however, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is needed to adequately address the climate crisis.

ASLA will continue to advocate for strong, science-based federal policy—such as the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act—that recognizes the urgent threat of greenhouse gas emissions and protects the health, safety, and prosperity of communities across the nation. Together, our voice is critical in ensuring that the progress made in addressing the climate crisis is not reversed.

Send a message to your members of Congress today and urge them to support the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act.

Leave a Comment