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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ROLLBACKS

Every day we wake up to breaking news. We are bombarded by never ending notifications updating us in real time about the next big story. We barely have time to process before we receive a new notification, and just like that, we’ve already forgotten the last piece of news. It’s easy to see how many of us aren’t aware that in the middle of the chaos and barrage of unending news clips, the Trump administration has been rolling back environmental acts. To be specific, they’ve reversed or are in the process of reversing almost 95 different rules and regulations. These regulations were targeted just days after Donald Trump was elected president. His administration introduced “America First Energy Plan,” which promised to lift environmental rules that restricted America’s energy output. The Trump Administration claimed that by loosening or revoking them, energy will be more affordable and more jobs will be created. However, these rollbacks come at a steep price. The NY Times has put together a list of 95 regulations that have been targeted and categorized them into groups; air pollution and emissions, drilling and extraction, infrastructure and planning, animals, toxic substances and safety, water pollution and other. In total, 58 have been completed and 37 are in the process of being reversed. Here are a few that have been completed:

• Withdrew a requirement for owners and operators in the oil and gas industry to report methane emissions

• Revoked California’s authority to set its own climate-protective vehicle emissions standards

• Reversed regulations on water pollution for fracking on federal and Native American lands

• Lifted the ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

• Rescinded an order to factor climate change and long-term public interest while managing natural resources in national parks

• Altered the Endangered Species Act so that it is now more difficult to protect animals from threats caused by climate change

• Revoked the ban on hunting predators in wildlife refuges in Alaska

• Ended a program that was created to reduce risks of workers developing a lung disease called silicosis

• Rolled back a proposed rule that would minimize pollutants at sewage treatment plants

• Reversed limits on the sale of plastic water bottles in national parks

• The rest can be found on the NY Times.

It is important to note that some of the rollbacks have been blocked in court. These rollbacks are cited as not following proper procedure. For example, on March 21, 2018 a judge ruled that the E.P.A. was acting illegally when it tried to delay a rule that would regulate the certification and training of pesticide applicators. Including that ruling, there have been 10 rules that were reinstated after they were challenged.

1. Weakened federal rules regulating the disposal and storage of coal ash waste from power plants. A court later ruled the administration was attempting to weaken rules that were not stringent enough.

2. Reversed course on repealing emissions standards for “glider” trucks — vehicles retrofitted with older, often dirtier engines — after Andrew Wheeler took over as head of the E.P.A.

3. Delayed a compliance deadline for new national ozone pollution standards by one year, but later reversed course.

4. Suspended an effort to lift restrictions on mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska. But the Army Corps of Engineers is performing an environmental review of an application for mining in the area.

5. Delayed implementation of a rule regulating the certification and training of pesticide applicators, but a judge ruled that the E.P.A. had done so illegally and declared the rule still in effect.

6. Initially delayed publishing efficiency standards for household appliances, but later published them after multiple states and environmental groups sued.

7. Delayed federal building efficiency standards until Sept. 30, 2017, at which time the rules went into effect.

8. Reissued a rule limiting the discharge of mercury by dental offices into municipal sewers after a lawsuit by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group.

9. Re-posted a proposed rule limiting greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft, after initially changing its status to “inactive” on the E.P.A. website. In May 2019, the agency confirmed it would issue the rule.

10. Removed the Yellowstone grizzly bear from the Endangered Species List, but the protections were later reinstated by a federal judge. (The Trump administration appealed the ruling in May 2019.)

It is important to note that some of the rollbacks have been blocked in court. These rollbacks are cited as not following proper procedure. For example, on March 21, 2018 a judge ruled that the E.P.A. was acting illegally when it tried to delay a rule that would regulate the certification and training of pesticide applicators. Including that ruling, there have been 10 rules that were reinstated after they were challenged.

If you want stay up to date on these rollbacks and other environmental news, check out The Daily Climate (dailyclimate.org), Climate Desk (climatedesk.org), Climate Central (climatecentral.org) or Yale Climate Connections (yaleclimateconnections.org).