Brian Barton
Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of reversing restrictions on pollution and launching attacks on the environment. During his second term, the Trump administration took 145 actions to repeal or weaken environmental rules, including the removal of the US from the Paris climate accords, rewriting pollution standards for cars and power plants, and reversing the ban on asbestos. Trump's EPA has also targeted regulations that would have prevented nearly 200,000 deaths over the next 25 years, according to the EPA's own assessments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Trump administration's actions on environmental rules | Reversed or weakened environmental rules |
| Number of actions | 145 actions |
| Rate of actions | More than one a day since the 20 January inauguration |
| Trump's EPA actions | Cut pollution rules |
| Number of lives saved by pollution rules | 200,000 lives |
| Trump's EPA's argument for cutting pollution rules | "Roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden 'taxes' on US families" |
| Analysis of the costs and benefits of pollution rules | The benefits outweigh the costs by a factor of around six to one |
| Trump's actions on Biden-era policies | Deleted a swath of Joe Biden-era green policies |
| Biden-era policies affected | Asbestos ban |
| Trump administration's argument for asbestos ban reversal | "Rewrite a ban on the last type of asbestos still used in the United States" |
| Trump administration's actions on Obama-era policies | Reversed Obama administration's decision against a proposed Alaska gold and copper mining operation |
| Trump administration's actions on funding | Eliminated funding for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) |
| Trump administration's actions on the EPA | Attempted to severely shrink the EPA |
| Trump administration's actions on climate change | Withdrew U.S. commitment to fight climate change |
| Trump administration's actions on water efficiency | Eliminated a federal water efficiency rule for toilets and showers |
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What You'll Learn
Trump's EPA aims to cut pollution rules
Trump's administration has been characterised by a concerted effort to roll back environmental protections and cut pollution rules. The administration has targeted almost every major policy designed to shield Americans from toxic pollution, curb the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, and protect landscapes, oceans, forests, and imperiled wildlife.
Trump's EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, has been central to this effort, announcing plans to dismantle federal air quality and carbon pollution regulations. On March 12, the EPA unveiled a list of 31 regulations it intends to scale back or eliminate, including rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants, restrictions on the emission of mercury, and clean water protections. These regulations are projected to save nearly 200,000 lives over the next 25 years, preventing an array of respiratory, heart, and other health problems worsened by air and water pollution.
The Trump administration's actions have often explicitly favored the fossil fuel industry, which donated heavily to his presidential campaign. The administration has frozen climate spending, removed the US from the Paris climate accords, and set about rewriting pollution standards for cars, trucks, and power plants. Sprawling tracts of land, including in the Arctic, have been opened for new oil and gas drilling, and commercial fishing will be allowed in ocean sanctuaries.
The administration has also reversed the US's international commitment to tackling climate change and reducing pollution, and has undermined domestic efforts to regulate air pollution. Trump has expressed skepticism about the concept of global warming, describing it as a hoax created by the Chinese government to sabotage American manufacturing. The administration has also targeted the EPA itself for downsizing, eliminating funding for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and closing environmental justice offices at the agency's headquarters and regional offices.
The impact of these changes will be far-reaching, with environmental lawyers arguing that the new methods will undermine the legal underpinnings of controls on mercury and other pollutants. The rollbacks will also have significant economic costs, with the cost of healthcare and sick days far outstripping the costs of complying with the regulations.
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Trump's blitz on the environment
Trump's administration has targeted pollution standards for cars, trucks, and power plants, as well as rules limiting harmful air pollution and clean water protections. The reversal of regulations to prevent toxic waste from coal plants from entering the water supply has put drinking water sources for one in three Americans at risk of pollution. The administration has also moved to wind back rules on emissions of greenhouse gases and toxins such as mercury, as well as pipeline safety regulations.
The Trump administration has also withdrawn from international efforts to tackle climate change, such as the Paris climate accords, and has ended programs that created thousands of jobs combating climate change and restoring public lands. The administration has further undermined environmental protections by cutting funding for landscape conservation cooperatives (LCCs) and environmental justice offices, and by authorising the federal government to expedite approval of fossil fuel projects and circumvent the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act.
The impact of these rollbacks has been devastating for the American people, particularly the most vulnerable. The elimination of environmental rules and protections will result in increased pollution, with consequent negative impacts on public health, including respiratory problems and asthma attacks. The rollbacks will also drive up healthcare costs and undermine economic growth, with the costs of inaction on the climate crisis far outweighing the costs of implementing new pollution controls.
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Trump's environmental rule-shredding
Trump's second administration has been even more frenzied in its efforts to repeal or weaken environmental rules and escalate the use of planet-heating fossil fuels. In the first 100 days, the administration took 145 actions to this end—a rate of more than one a day.
Trump's EPA has targeted regulations that are projected to save nearly 200,000 lives over the next 25 years, helping to avoid an array of heart, respiratory, and other health problems worsened by air and water pollution. The targeted regulations include rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants, restrictions on the emission of mercury, and clean water protections for rivers and streams.
The Trump administration has also withdrawn from the Paris climate accords, set about rewriting pollution standards for cars, trucks, and power plants, and earmarked land in the Arctic for new oil and gas drilling. The administration has also cleared the way for renewed mineral leasing within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a 1,090,000-acre wilderness area in Minnesota.
Trump's actions have often explicitly favored the fossil fuel industry, which donated heavily to his presidential campaign.
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Trump's EPA rewrites pollution standards
Trump's administration has been characterised by a concerted effort to weaken environmental rules and escalate the use of fossil fuels. This has included a swathe of reversals and proposed reversals of pollution standards, with the administration's EPA rewriting and rescinding a host of pollution-control policies.
On 12 March, Trump's EPA announced 31 actions to revise pollution standards, including rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants, and restrictions on the emission of mercury, a neurotoxin. The EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, described the changes as "driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion". The EPA's own assessments, however, contradict this, finding that the regulations would prevent nearly 200,000 deaths over the next 25 years, avoiding an array of health problems worsened by air and water pollution.
The Trump administration has also reversed the Obama administration's decision against a proposed Alaska gold and copper mining operation, Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, which was found to permanently harm the region's sockeye salmon fisheries. In addition, the administration repealed the Clean Water Rule, which was designed to protect water sources for one in three Americans from industrial and agricultural waste, sewage, radioactive materials, and other pollutants.
Trump's EPA has also frozen climate spending, removed the US from the Paris climate accords, and set about rewriting pollution standards for cars, trucks, and power plants. The administration has also authorised the federal government to expedite permitting and approval of fossil fuel, infrastructure, and mining projects, circumventing the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act requirements.
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Trump reverses Biden-era restrictions
In a stark reversal of Biden-era environmental policies, the Trump administration has embarked on a blitzkrieg of rollbacks and reversals, endangering communities and the climate. Within the first 100 days of his second term, Trump launched more attacks on the environment than during his entire first term, with 145 actions aimed at repealing or weakening environmental rules. This includes a swath of Biden-era green policies that have been deleted, such as the US's commitment to the Paris climate accords, and the reversal of Obama-era protections.
Trump's administration has targeted almost every major policy designed to shield Americans from toxic pollution, curb the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, and protect landscapes, oceans, forests, and wildlife. The administration has rewritten the EPA's pollution-control policies, including policies on chemicals known to pose serious health risks, and has benefited the fossil fuel industry. The EPA itself has estimated that the regulations in place would prevent nearly 200,000 deaths over the next 25 years, yet the Trump administration has claimed that removing these regulations will "roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden 'taxes' on US families".
One notable example of Trump's reversal of Biden-era restrictions is the attempt to weaken the EPA's ability to regulate air pollution. The administration has targeted regulations on greenhouse gases and toxins such as mercury, as well as air quality and carbon pollution standards. The EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, described the efforts as "driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion". Additionally, the Trump administration has reversed a Biden-era ban on asbestos, a carcinogenic material, despite public outcry.
Furthermore, Trump has reversed Obama-era protections by approving a proposed Alaska gold and copper mining operation, Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, which was found by the Obama administration to permanently harm the region's sockeye salmon fisheries. The Trump administration has also cleared the way for renewed mineral leasing within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a 1,090,000-acre wilderness area in Minnesota. These actions demonstrate a consistent pattern of dismantling predecessor administrations' actions on climate change, conservation, and pollution.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Trump is reversing restrictions on pollution.
The Clean Water Rule, also referred to as Waters of the United States (WOTUS), is an Obama-era rule that protects public drinking water systems from industrial and agricultural waste, sewage, radioactive materials, and other pollutants.
On February 28, 2017, Trump signed an executive order to allow the EPA administrator to revise or rescind the Clean Water Rule.
Reversing the Clean Water Rule will likely increase water pollution and put avian and human life at risk.
Trump's administration has deleted Biden-era green policies, removed the US from the Paris climate accords, and set about rewriting pollution standards for cars, trucks, and power plants. They have also cut funding for programs that combat climate change and protect public lands.
