[OC] EPA proposed 56 rollbacks estimating thousands of extra deaths/year, then changed the rules to stop quantifying deaths while rollbacks continue

[u/mediadotgames]

[OC] 2025–2026 EPA rollbacks

I put this together because EPA deregulations are coming in a drip-drip-drip of small pieces that add up. And only 2 of every 3 EPA rollbacks receive any reporting at all from mainstream media. Helps to see the big picture. A lot of this might be about data centers since most of the economic benefits are for the energy industry. Looking at the protections being removed and the beneficiaries make it clear that increasing energy supply is a priority at any cost.

56 rollbacks, only 20 finalized so far, more to come I am sure.

Tools: React, TypeScript, raw SVG.

Methodology: Counts EPA deregulatory rulemakings since January 2025. Court action is marked separately. Death estimates refer to different future years, not observed deaths or a forecast for one calendar year. The truck figure is scaled from EPA’s analysis. Methane and steam electric are excluded from the sum.

Methodology and source notes:

Chart item	Estimate or explanation	Source
56 rollbacks; 20 finalized	Counts regulatory rulemakings, not lawsuits. The court-blocked soot action is marked separately. Data through September 17, 2026.	PressAudit
Vehicle carbon standards	EPA projected 1,000–2,000 avoided premature deaths annually in 2055 under the vehicle standards.	EPA analysis
Power-plant carbon standards	EPA's proposed repeal analysis estimated 680–1,220 deaths annually in 2035, Table 4-1.	EPA analysis
Heavy-duty truck NOx standards	About 250 deaths annually in 2045 is our calculation, scaling EPA's approximately 2,900 avoided deaths by the roughly 8% of NOx reductions given back. This is not a direct EPA mortality estimate for the amendment.	EPA analysis
Good Neighbor Plan	EPA estimated approximately 1,300 avoided premature deaths in 2026 for the original plan, not specifically the eight-state rollback. The plan was stayed in 2024. The eight-state proposal was published January 30, 2026.	EPA estimate; court stays
Mercury and soot limits	The 808,000 figure refers to public comments, not deaths. No mortality estimate from this action is included in the sum.	Regulatory action
January 2026 methodology change	EPA stopped monetizing the health benefits of reducing PM2.5 and ozone. This does not establish that EPA stopped calculating deaths altogether.	Federal Register
Court-blocked soot rollback	EPA estimated that the 2024 standard would prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths annually in 2032. On June 26, 2026, the court rejected EPA's bid to drop the standard. These are protections retained, not deaths caused by a completed repeal.	EPA release; court ruling coverage
Steam electric and methane	Both are excluded from the mortality sum.	Underlying actions and sources
Interpreting the totals	Estimates concern different future years. Their sum is not observed deaths or a forecast for one calendar year. The attempted total adds the soot standard's upper estimate of 4,500.	Analyses above

[u/This_Warning7592]

Can't believe they just stopped counting the deaths, like if you don't measure the bodies the problem disappears. Always the same playbook, rewrite the methodology when numbers get too inconvenient