TAMPA, Fla. – Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) condemned President Trump’s decision to rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Act “Endangerment Finding,” which requires the EPA to protect people from pollution that drives extreme weather and its costly, dangerous impacts under the Clean Air Act.

“Trump has cemented his legacy as the most pro-polluter, anti-health President in history. He’s inflicting costly and dangerous harm on Americans and our way of life. It’s a corrupt decision that guts vital Clean Air Act protections and flies in the face of established science.

“Florida is uniquely vulnerable to unabated climate pollution and the enormous costs we pay in property insurance, high electric bills and more intense hurricanes. The escalating cost of living does not matter to Trump. He sides with polluters and their profits every day over the health and well-being of our neighbors.

“In 2024, Floridians experienced 11 extreme weather disasters that caused more than $135 billion in damage and claimed at least 286 lives. Across the Tampa Bay area, neighbors were hit by back-to-back hurricanes, and many families are still rebuilding their homes and businesses. Last summer’s record-breaking heat sent more construction workers and outdoor employees to the hospital and cost Florida an estimated $11 billion in lost annual productivity. At the same time, insurance companies are raising rates or pulling out of our state altogether, leaving families with fewer choices and higher costs.

“The EPA is supposed to protect our families and our environment. But today’s actions aren’t based on facts or science. They rely on a misleading Department of Energy report that cherry-picks data to support the Republican, pro-polluter sellout.

“Rescinding the Endangerment Finding gives polluters a free pass to pollute the air we breathe while families pay the price with higher health care costs, higher insurance premiums, and greater risks to their livelihoods from extreme weather. This reckless move ignores science, puts corporate polluters first, and puts our community at risk. I will fight to restore these protections and hold polluters accountable.”