Americans want stricter environmental regulations and laws, according to two Pew Research surveys, despite President Trump’s deregulation mission.
A 2023-2024 survey found that six in 10 Americans said that better environmental regulation and laws are worth the cost. Only 38 percent think they hurt the economy. The majority of respondents in 29 states and the District of Columbia favor stricter environmental laws and think it is worth the cost. In the 20 other states, respondents are more divided. However, Wyoming is the exception, as most said those laws hurt the economy and cost too many jobs.
Respondents from D.C. and Minnesota have some of the broadest support for stricter environmental regulations; 71 percent from each place say it is worth the cost. About two-thirds of respondents in Oregon (68%) and Washington (67%) say environmental laws are worth it. Sixty-one percent of respondents from Florida and Pennsylvania said the same. The majority support in Missouri is only 56 percent.
Protecting Waterways, National Parks, and Climate
Another survey conducted in 2023 by Pew Research found that 63 percent of respondents said the federal government is doing too little to protect the nation’s waterways. Only seven percent said too much is being done. More than half responded that the federal government does too little to protect air quality and animals.
Over half (56 percent) said the federal government is doing too little on climate change, while 20 percent said it is doing too much. Nearly half (48 percent) think the government does too little to protect national parks and nature preserves.
Residents of two of the most populous states, California and New York, are advocating for stricter environmental laws. A June 2024 survey by Public Policy Institute of California found that “strong majorities” in California support the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a law requiring 100 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2045.
A survey by NY Renews and Global Strategies Group found that 64 percent of respondents in New York support the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a bill the state legislature has yet to pass.
Trump’s Energy Deregulation
On his second inauguration day, Trump issued an executive order encouraging “energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters.” This includes the Outer Continental Shelf.
Federal agencies have launched actions to make Trump’s deregulation wet dream a reality. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced what the agency deems the “most consequential day of deregulation.” This includes deregulating fossil fuel power plant operations, the oil and gas industry, and wastewater regulations for the oil and gas industry.
Ditching the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which reduced emissions from coal power plants, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and the Risk Management Rule are included in the agenda.
The Interior Department announced a Bureau of Land Management update in May to fast-track oil and gas leasing on public lands. The aim is to complete the “entire process” of leasing within six months. Yes, six months to allow fossil fuel companies to destroy public lands, even while the majority of Americans don’t want their public lands sold off to the highest bidder.
