India, Feb. 16 -- US EPA rescinds its 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases

Move removes the federal legal basis for regulating climate emissions

The finding underpinned Obama-era vehicle and power plant rules

Decision likely to trigger prolonged court battles

Regulating climate emissions just became more difficult. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repealed its own 2009 legal finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.

Vindicated by a Supreme Court ruling in 2007, and based on scientific evidence, this so-called endangerment finding by the EPA provided the legal warrant for the regulation of greenhouse gases by the federal government. It underpinned...