AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
- The New York Times recently reported that the Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to deny the acceleration of climate change — and the government’s role in researching it.
- Over the past two years, the EPA has aggressively tried to eliminate or roll back Obama-era environmental protection rules related to minimizing pollution and mitigation of climate change.
- Meanwhile, the US Department of the Interior has paved the way for an uptick in offshore drilling and drilling on previously protected public lands.
- Here are 11 of the most notable ways the administration has given more free reign to polluting industries.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to deny the acceleration of climate change — and the government’s role in researching it.
This latest push to minimize the federal government’s role in mitigating climate change will reportedly include defunding the National Climate Assessment, compiled every four years, after last year’s report predicted the US would suffer catastrophic ecological and economic consequences from climate change.
Under former EPA administrator Scott Pruit and his predecessor Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, the EPA has aggressively tried to eliminate or roll back Obama-era environmental protection rules related to minimizing pollution and mitigation of climate change.
While many attempted rollbacks have been blocked in court for not following proper administrative procedure, according to an analysis from the Washington Post, the administration is still de-regulating the oil, gas, and coal industries at a rapid pace.
Meanwhile, the US Department of the Interior has paved the way for an uptick in offshore drilling and drilling on previously protected public lands and national monuments, many of which President Donald Trump reduced in size with executive orders.
Over the past two-and-a-half years, National Geographic and The New York Times have been meticulously tracking regulatory rollbacks and changes to environmental policy under the Trump administration, with The Times counting 47 eliminated rules and 31 in the process of being repealed as of last December.
Here are 11 of the most notable ways the administration has given more free reign to polluting industries:
The Trump administration has proposed getting rid of an Obama-era clean emissions plan that aimed to cut carbon emissions by a third by 2030, partly on the basis that the plan "waged a war on coal."
REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
Sources: White House, National Geographic
The EPA also scrapped planned regulations on pollution from sewage plants, and proposed new guidance that reduced the number of waterways and other bodies of water protected from pollution under the Clean Water Act.
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Source: Business Insider, New York Times
The administration has also rolled back EPA and Interior Department regulations requiring methane emitters to reduce "flares" of methane pollution on protected public and tribal lands, and give companies more leeway in repairing leaks.
Associated Press
Source: University of Pennsylvania Regulatory Review
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The Mueller probe is over, but here are 6 active congressional investigations into Trump
- Squirrel stew, jelly beans, and hoecakes: Here are all 44 presidents’ favorite foods
- POWER RANKING: Here’s who has the best chance of becoming the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee
SEE ALSO: How 11 of Trump’s most controversial actions have fared in court
Source: Business Insider – gpanetta@businessinsider.com (Grace Panetta)