Philly had a fine summer. June and July were brutal and blistering, as has been the norm of late: extreme heat streaks are getting much more common each year. August, however, the coolest we’ve had since 2014.

Want more Augusts like this one? Well, there’s only one way to stop our summers from getting hotter and hotter each year: Reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are baking our planet. And it is possible if we all work together to stop the gas and oil industries from burning fossil fuels and break our dependence on plastic.

But Lee Zeldin apparently doesn’t want us to have livable summers anymore. Zeldin, whom Trump chose to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, wants to repeal the policy that allows the federal government to limit this deadly pollution that is killing our planet.

The Endangerment Finding of 2009 is the EPA’s scientific conclusion: Greenhouse gases threaten public health. Ever since, this finding has been the cornerstone of any federal policy that seeks to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, from laws that make our cars more efficient to laws that keep polluters from ruining our air and water.

Zeldin and Trump want to take the Endangerment Finding back, effectively denying that the climate crisis is real and tying the government’s hands to effectively fight it.

Less regulation means more money for polluters. But it means less of everything else for the rest of us: less clean air in our lungs, less money in our pockets, less time to enjoy the outdoors in mild weather, less time on a livable planet.

More pollution means Philadelphia’s already-sky-high rates of childhood asthma — which had actually started to decline in recent years — will continue to climb alongside healthcare costs. More pollution also means:

• • More extreme weather events, like flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes; more damage to our homes and businesses, and more lives lost.
  • Less efficient vehicles, which means even more pollution plus higher prices at the pump.
  • More “ozone action days” when it’s literally unhealthy for everyone to go outside and breathe the air.
  • More of the urban heat island effect that traps heat in the city environment and makes Philly feel like a sauna all summer.
  • Worse allergies, thanks to longer, warmer growing seasons for allergens.

More pollution means more unnecessary deaths and a worse quality of life for us all. It isn’t too late for us to take action.

The EPA is still accepting public comment on this proposed repeal of the Endangerment Finding through September 22. If you want to save Philly summers (and winters, springs and falls!) you can submit your comment one of three ways:

• • Submit online through Regulations.gov by searching for the Docket ID EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194.
  • Share your testimony via email at a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, (Just be sure to put the Docket ID number in the subject line)
  • Send by mail to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, OAR, Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.

Alex Bomstein is the Executive Director of the Clean Air Council.

The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.

MORE ON CLEANING UP OUR ENVIRONMENT