Attacks on Science, Who’s Behind Them, and Their Harm: My Congressional Testimony

This is a policy story rather than one with a direct home-upgrade angle, but it touches on the climate rules that shape energy programs. A scientist testified before a Senate committee this week that the Trump administration has rolled back science-based climate policies, including repealing the 2009 "endangerment finding," the legal basis the EPA has used to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and power plants. That repeal is now being used to justify undoing pollution limits on vehicles and power plants.

The testimony also pointed to major staff losses at agencies homeowners rely on indirectly, including NOAA (weather and climate data), the EPA, and the CDC, and said federal science funding has been cut in ways tied to political considerations. Separately, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on October 5 in a case, Suncor v. Boulder, about whether fossil fuel companies can be held accountable in court for climate-related damages, while some in Congress are being asked to consider giving oil companies legal immunity from such claims.

None of this changes any rebate, incentive, or program available to homeowners right now. But the underlying regulatory fights over emissions rules and climate accountability could eventually influence federal energy and climate policy, including the kinds of programs that fund home weatherization (sealing and insulating a house to save energy) and electrification upgrades. For now, there is no specific deadline or dollar change for homeowners to act on.