EPA rollback weakens oversight of private equity pollution
February 12, 2026
Trump EPA rollback weakens oversight of private equity’s fossil fuel pollution
Research links private equity to major emissions and billions in U.S. health costs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration’s decision to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health and the environment strips the federal government of its legal authority to regulate climate pollution from major sources, including power plants and oil and gas infrastructure. The move clears the way for rolling back limits on carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions, despite decades of scientific findings linking these pollutants to serious health risks and climate harm.
The rollback comes as private equity firms already control a vast and largely hidden share of the fossil fuel economy. The 2024 Private Equity Climate Risks Scorecard found that 21 private equity firms managing roughly $6 trillion in assets are responsible for an estimated 1.17 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year from fossil fuel assets, including coal-fired power plants, liquefied natural gas terminals, and upstream oil and gas extraction. That level of emissions exceeds the global aviation industry and rivals the climate impact of the 2023 Canadian wildfires.
In addition to climate pollution, private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure is already imposing documented public health costs. June 2025 research from the Private Equity Climate Risks (PECR) data consortium found that air pollution from select private equity-backed fossil fuel facilities caused up to $15 billion in health damages every year in the United States. Facilities included in the study are responsible for nearly 1,500 emergency room visits, nearly 1,000 premature deaths, more than 500,000 cases of asthma symptoms, and nearly 30,000 lost work days each year.
Private equity firms also rank among the nation’s worst industrial polluters. Analysis published in 2024 shows that nine private equity firms managing more than $3.7 trillion in assets rank among the top greenhouse gas and toxic air polluters in the United States.
“Private equity firms are already responsible for enormous amounts of climate and health-harming pollution while operating with limited transparency,” said Amanda Mendoza, Senior Researcher at the Private Equity Stakeholder Project and Project Manager of PECR. “Rolling back the EPA’s authority makes it even harder to track, regulate, and reduce emissions from some of the biggest polluters in the country. Private equity has long operated in the dark, and this decision makes that problem worse.”
As federal climate protections are dismantled, the scale of emissions and health impacts tied to private equity’s fossil fuel holdings underscores the growing risks posed by an industry that remains largely shielded from public scrutiny and regulatory oversight.
