The government shutdown slowed the firehose of federal anti-environment action but didn’t turn it off completely. With thousands of workers on leave, the Trump administration still managed to cancel billions of dollars in awards for energy projects that would have addressed methane leaks from oil and gas operations and bolstered local clean energy buildout. EPA kept charging forward on proposals to stop reporting on climate pollution, weaken chemical safety reviews, and eliminate greenhouse gas pollution protections entirely. And it put the wheels in motion for a reorganization of the Office of Air and Radiation, the office tasked with protecting us from air pollution, meant to streamline the agency’s attacks on federal safeguards.
Tell Congress: Defend EPA’s Ability to Protect Human Health and the Environment
Read on for some of the administration’s most significant actions on air pollution, climate change, and toxic chemicals these last two months—or check out our more complete list of the anti-health, anti-environment actions Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin have taken this year. It’s mind-boggling.
Here’s just some of what happened in October:
- Reviving the coal industry at great expense: Coal is the largest contributor to global warming worldwide. And yet the Trump administration is trying desperately to bring this dying industry back to life, releasing a plan to pump $625 million into jumpstarting mining operations and coal-fired power plants, including ones that were already shut down. Nothing like going backward! Zeldin’s EPA plays an essential role in this terrible plan, working to repeal Biden-era protections against coal plant pollution, including mercury, carbon dioxide, and more. If this revival is successful, we’ll all see higher utility bills—despite the proposed government bailout, coal is a significantly more costly energy source than solar and wind.
- Letting greenhouse gas emissions go unchecked: EPA moved forward with a public hearing about its proposal to end the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program despite the government shutdown. This 15-year-old program provides critical public information about climate pollution from the country’s largest emitters. If finalized, this proposal will mean we’ll no longer know the sources and scale of pollution that causes climate change, including from oil and gas facilities, landfills, and power plants—though of course the pollution will still be happening.
- Prioritizing dirty air and deregulation: The Trump administration furloughed and laid off thousands of EPA workers in October—but only those working on issues Trump and Zeldin have deprioritized. In a departure from tradition, Zeldin didn’t make cuts agency-wide but instead sent home staff still focusing on pollution protections while exempting employees working to attack and repeal regulations that protect our health, including the legal foundation of all EPA climate rules, the Endangerment Finding.
And here’s just some of what happened in November:
- Delaying toxic chemical protections: EPA announced it would delay compliance with and enforcement of toxic chemical protections for methylene chloride and trichloroethylene. These chemicals are found in consumer products like paints, adhesives, and household cleaners, and are known to cause harm to the central nervous system and cancer. To add insult to toxic chemical injury, EPA is also considering allowing companies to opt out of reporting use of PFAS “forever chemicals”—which can cause decreased fertility, cancer, liver damage, and more—in cases where they’re used in low quantities for research purposes. Because why use all means necessary to protect people from some of the most toxic substances on the planet?
- Letting methane pollution skyrocket: Back in July, EPA decided to delay implementation of the pathbreaking Biden-era methane rule, which would have significantly curtailed climate-warming methane emissions from oil and gas operations. Congress got in line behind Trump and Zeldin in November, blocking Senate Democrats’ challenge to this decision. Outrageous.
- Opening up protected wetlands to mining companies: In another gift to the coal and mineral mining industries, EPA proposed a rule that would cut the number of protected wetlands and waterways by 80%. If finalized, this rule would mean fewer Clean Water Act restrictions for mining companies, more polluting coal facilities, and of course, more climate pollution. Who wants clean water?
Tell Congress: Defend EPA’s Ability to Protect Human Health and the Environment