氣候基石鬆動

美國環境保護署（U.S. Environmental Protection Agency，EPA）上週宣布將撤銷「危害認定」（Endangerment Finding），這項決定可能對聯邦氣候法規與整體氣候治理架構產生深遠影響。不過，多位產業專家指出，該變動短期內不太可能直接改變與廢棄物及回收產業相關的核心排放規範。

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to roll back the “Endangerment Finding,” a decision that could significantly reshape the federal climate regulatory framework. However, industry experts say the move is unlikely to directly alter core emissions regulations governing the waste and recycling sector in the near term.

EPA 署長 Lee Zeldin 於白宮羅斯福廳宣布此項政策調整，強調此舉將有助於放寬對汽車與卡車排放的監管。EPA 在聲明中主張，依據《清潔空氣法》（Clean Air Act），該機構並無強制義務規範氣候暖化排放，並表示既有氣候管制措施「未曾也無法對全球氣候產生實質影響」。EPA 同時宣稱，相關去監管措施可為美國消費者帶來高達 1.3 兆美元的節省，但環保團體則反駁指出，氣候成本將遠高於此。

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the decision as a deregulatory measure aimed at reducing constraints on vehicle emissions. The agency argued that under the Clean Air Act it is not obligated to regulate climate-warming emissions and asserted that prior climate actions “have not and cannot have any material impact.” The EPA further claimed that deregulation could unlock $1.3 trillion in consumer savings, a figure strongly contested by environmental groups.

Zeldin 表示，此次行動是美國史上最大規模的去監管措施之一，旨在解除過去 16 年來對消費者選擇的限制與隱性成本。

二階效應待觀察，產業憂監管不確定性升高

儘管直接衝擊仍有限，但政策的「二階效應」尚待釐清。Solid Waste Association of North America（SWANA）公共政策高級主管 Kristyn Oldendorf 表示，撤銷危害認定可能帶來監管不確定性，並對公共健康與環境產生長期負面影響。

Second-Order Impacts and Regulatory Uncertainty

While immediate regulatory changes for waste operators appear limited, second-order impacts remain uncertain. The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) warned that revoking the Endangerment Finding could introduce regulatory instability and pose long-term risks to public health and the environment.

Climate change itself continues to present operational challenges for the industry. Rising temperatures increase safety risks for workers who spend extended hours outdoors, while more frequent severe weather events may expand disaster recovery workloads. Although such events can generate revenue opportunities, they also elevate insurance premiums, repair costs and infrastructure vulnerabilities.

SWANA 指出，氣候變遷本身已對廢棄物與回收產業構成實質壓力。極端高溫增加戶外長時間作業人員的健康風險；強烈風暴與自然災害頻率升高，雖可能帶來更多災後清理業務與短期營收成長，但同時也推升保險費用、維修成本與設施風險暴露。

SWANA 執行長 Amy Lestition Burke 表示，無論政策如何變動，產業仍將持續致力於維護公共健康與環境安全。

掩埋場排放規則短期不變

專家指出，廢棄物產業的主要溫室氣體來源為掩埋場排放，但現行相關空氣排放標準係依「非甲烷有機化合物」（NMOCs）設計，而非直接以溫室氣體為監管對象，因此不會因危害認定撤銷而立即失效。

National Waste & Recycling Association（NWRA）總裁暨執行長 Michael E. Hoffman 表示，基於此法規設計架構，掩埋場空氣排放規範短期內不受影響。

聯邦退場恐形成州層級法規拼圖

Landfill Emissions Rules Remain Intact for Now

Industry experts emphasize that existing landfill air emissions standards are structured around non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) rather than greenhouse gases, meaning they are not directly dependent on the Endangerment Finding. As a result, these regulations are unlikely to be immediately affected by the rollback.

Risk of a Patchwork Regulatory Landscape

The rollback forms part of a broader deregulatory push that includes plans to terminate the federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. If discontinued, greenhouse gas reporting requirements would largely revert to individual states, several of which have already enacted their own disclosure laws with varying standards.

此次撤銷行動被視為更廣泛氣候監管鬆綁策略的一部分。政府此前已宣布計畫終止「溫室氣體排放報告計畫」（Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program），該計畫長期要求數千座工業設施（包括市政與有害廢棄物掩埋場）申報年度碳排放數據。

若聯邦層級報告制度終止，相關排放揭露責任將回歸各州。目前已有多州制定各自的排放揭露法規，要求與標準差異甚大。專家警告，此舉可能導致「法規拼圖化」現象，使企業須同時符合多重州法要求，增加合規成本與行政負擔。

SCS Engineers 高級副總裁 Mike McLaughlin 指出，部分設施營運商已要求聯邦政府保留全國性報告制度，以避免面對如紐約州即將於明年生效的新排放揭露規定等多重法規衝突。

Such fragmentation could create compliance complexities for facility operators. Industry stakeholders have urged the federal government to retain a unified reporting framework to avoid navigating divergent state-level requirements, including new disclosure rules scheduled to take effect in New York next year.

Legal Challenges and Scientific Controversy

法律戰與科學爭議升溫

撤銷危害認定的決定已遭環保團體提告。Environmental Defense Fund（EDF）宣布將在法院挑戰該政策。多個環保團體批評，政策依據部分來自能源部召集的「氣候工作小組」（Climate Working Group）報告，而該小組已於 9 月解散，其報告亦遭氣候科學界廣泛質疑。

The Environmental Defense Fund has announced plans to challenge the rollback in court. Critics argue that the decision relies in part on findings from a Department of Energy–convened Climate Working Group whose report was widely criticized by climate scientists. Although a federal judge later ruled the group’s formation unlawful, the report was allowed to stand and subsequently served as a legal foundation for rescinding the Endangerment Finding.

聯邦法官後續裁定該小組成立程序違法，但仍允許報告留存，成為此次撤銷危害認定的重要法律依據之一。Union of Concerned Scientists批評指出，政策制定應由科學驅動，而非以政策立場反向塑造科學結論。

The Union of Concerned Scientists has criticized the process, arguing that policymaking should be guided by scientific evidence rather than reshaped to fit predetermined policy objectives.

整體而言，儘管廢棄物產業的核心排放規範短期內保持穩定，但聯邦氣候治理基礎動搖，可能為未來監管架構帶來長期不確定性，並加劇聯邦與州層級政策分歧，對產業投資決策與合規規劃形成新的風險變數。

In summary, while the waste and recycling sector’s primary emissions rules remain intact in the short term, the rollback introduces long-term regulatory uncertainty and could deepen divergence between federal and state climate governance, complicating compliance and strategic planning across the industry.