President Donald Trump continues to declare war on climate change action. Beholden to his fossil fuel masters, he wants to wipe out more than 150 years of environmental regulations.
During Trump’s first few weeks in office, he reversed former President Biden’s climate action. He pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, just as he did during his first term. He paused federal funding for most climate programs and stopped defending the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate rules in court.
That wasn’t enough for him. On April 8, Trump signed a pair of executive orders. One of the orders claims to “update” environmental regulations to “unleash American energy innovation.” The order, titled “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy,” requires agencies to include a five-year expiration date in all energy regulations. This sunset provision doesn’t extend to a regulation that is “deregulatory.”
Trump’s War on Climate Action Violates States’ Rights
The other executive order guts the states’ climate change regulations. It orders the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, “to identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources.” Those state laws include climate change policies, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives, environmental justice, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon taxes or penalties. AG Bondi will submit a report to Trump about recommendations and actions taken.
Currently, 14 states have net-zero emissions targets by midcentury, including California, New York, and Illinois. California and other states also require companies to report climate risks. Trump’s executive order could block both the targets and the disclosure rules.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in April that the federal agency did 31 “historic” actions to gut environmental protection. “Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen,” said Zeldin. “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down the cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S., and more.”
Those actions include reconsidering regulations of fossil fuel power plants, oil and gas production, and emissions. It also repealed regulations for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles.
Environmental Groups Criticize While Fossil Fuel Companies Praise
Environmental groups oppose Trump’s anti-climate action mission. John Noël, Greenpeace USA Deputy Climate Program Director, described the order to dismantle states’ climate regulations as “pathetic and dangerous.” He pointed out that wildfires, floods, and record-breaking heat waves affect Americans across the country. “But instead of helping Americans, Trump is launching a political attack on states that are trying to create a livable future for their people,” Noël added.
Michael Wall, Chief Litigation Officer at Natural Resources Defense Council, believes the executive order dismantling environmental regulations is “illegal” because “Congress passed these laws,” and the President has the constitutional duty to carry them out. “He has zero power to rewrite them,” Wall said.
The fossil fuel industry praised Trump’s deregulation efforts. The American Petroleum Institute represents all segments of the U.S. oil and gas industry. API’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Ryan Meyers, stated that the organization welcomes Trump’s attempts to “hold states like New York and California accountable for pursuing unconstitutional efforts that illegally penalize U.S. oil and natural gas producers for delivering the energy American consumers rely on every day.”
The API gave over $280,000 to Republican congressional candidates in 2024. Back in November, after Trump’s reelection, the organization urged him to roll back climate action.
Blue States Push Back
Blue states, such as New York, New Mexico, and California, are fighting back. Governors Kathy Hochul and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New York and New Mexico, respectively, are the co-chairs of the U.S. Climate Alliance. They responded to Trump’s executive order with a statement condemning it, pointing out that states have “independent constitutional authority.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom described Trump’s executive order as a “glorified press release masquerading as an executive order.” A press release, even one dressed up with Donald Trump’s signature, is not law. A point that the many lawsuits sure to follow from blue states will prove.
Photo by Tania Malréchauffé on Unsplash
