President Donald Trump announced Thursday the repeal of an Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency regulation that was the basis for regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. 

“We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers,” the president said at a press conference. 

Trump said the repeal of the regulation, which he called the “legal foundation of the green new scam,” is the largest act of deregulation in the country’s history. The endangerment finding cost businesses $1.3 trillion in regulation costs, he said. 

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator, said the repeal will lower the cost of cars by an average of $2,400 each. The repeal would also end the stop-start feature

He said the 2009 endangerment finding was the result of an “ideological crusade” on the part of the Obama administration. 

“The 2009 Obama EPA endangerment finding — and all greenhouse gas emission standards on light, medium and heavy duty vehicles that followed — is eliminated,” Zeldin said. 

This includes, Zeldin said, the stop-start system that would shut down gas-powered vehicles at stops to reduce idle time. The system wasn’t required, but the feature helped automakers meet emission regulations. 

The endangerment finding also impacted power plants and other stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions, but Thursday’s repeal has no impact on those regulations. 

The repeal brought condemnation among climate groups. 

"Billionaires like Donald Trump don’t suffer the devastation of climate change. Working people do," Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, said in a statement. 

However, the Trump administration's repeal also brought widespread support. On Tuesday, the Washington Post editorial board wrote in support of the repeal, and conservative groups praised the action. 

“This action is long overdue and good for the American people, freeing up the auto industry to make the vehicles people want unburdened by unnecessary emission restrictions or money-losing electric vehicle mandates. Today is a win for car and truck buyers and Trump should be applauded for taking this action," Dr. Sterling Burnett of the Heartland Institute, said in a statement. 

Kevin Killough is the energy reporter for Just The News. You can follow him on X for more coverage.