President Trump is working to dismantle environmental regulations in the U.S. and weaken the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He aims to pay back the businesses that financed his campaign. Oil and gas companies spent $96 million in direct donations to Trump’s presidential campaign.
During Trump’s first term in office, his administration gutted environmental regulations. The administration either rolled back, reversed, or revoked almost 100 environmental rules. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency carried out most of the rollbacks, which weakened the Obama administration’s regulations.
The rollbacks then came with a high cost to the environment and human lives. Rolling back climate policy could add 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent to the atmosphere by 2035. That amount is equivalent to almost one-third of all U.S. emissions in 2019 and would cause emissions to be three percent higher in 2035.
Trump’s rollbacks of Obama-era EPA policies pose a significant health risk. By 2030, they will increase air pollution, including particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. This increase would have severe health effects on large swaths of the American population. Specifically, it would cause 1,630 more premature deaths, 120,000 more asthma attacks, 140,000 more missed school days, and 48,000 lost work days.
Trump Guts the EPA
Trump issued more executive orders on his first day in office than any other U.S. president. Many of those executive orders directed the EPA and other federal agencies to review policies with the aim of “unleashing American energy.” The policies to be reviewed include any concerning regulating fossil fuel production. The orders enacted a regulatory freeze, which means no new regulations can be enacted. Trump’s executive orders also direct the EPA to stop considering the “social cost of carbon” when enacting regulations.
The Trump administration also sent emails to 1,100 EPA employees warning them they could be fired immediately. The employees who received the emails had worked at the federal agency for less than a year and were likely on probationary periods. NBC News obtained the email warning the EPA employees that “the process for probationary removal is that you receive a notice of termination, and your employment is ended immediately.”
Trump Goosestepper Lee Zeldin Confirmed As EPA Head
Trump nominated Lee Zeldin, a man with nominal environmental credentials, to head the EPA. The Senate confirmed the nomination with a 56-42 vote. Three Democrats voted for the nomination of the man the League of Conservation Voters gave an unfavorable rating while he served as a House Representative for New York’s District 1.
During his time as House Representative, Zeldin voted to repeal the Clean Water Rule. Zeldin voted against repealing clean water rules on other occasions. He also aimed at the Clean Air Act standards and voted to allow corporations to pollute the air. The American Lung Association has rated Suffolk County in Zeldin’s former district as the worst in New York state.
While in Congress, Zeldin voted for an amendment to slash the EPA’s budget by $2 million. He opposed an EPA methane rule to reduce pollution from fossil fuel production. He opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested in clean energy initiatives. He received $170,107 in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies and pesticide manufacturers.
“Through the EPA, we have the ability to pursue energy dominance,” Zeldin said during an interview on Fox News. “We have the opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle.”
During Zeldin’s confirmation hearing, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse pointed out his “role at polluter-funded organizations such as the America First Policy Institute and America First Works.” Whitehouse also cited Zeldin’s consulting clients affiliated with Trump, his anti-climate change op-eds paid for with “dark money organizations.” He questioned if the former Representative would “be an honest broker if confirmed to lead EPA.”
In summary, the second Trump EPA will be much like the first, only crueler, more ill-considered, and more devastating for the environment, people, and the economy.
