Trump’s War on Environmental Protection: A Chronology
Yes, there were over 100 environmental rollbacks. Here are the biggest.
As we face the possibility of another Trump Administration, it is worth remembering what he did the first time around. Some of us may have repressed the memory of Trump’s war against environmental protection in his previous term in office. Others may not have been following closely. As you can see below, Trump’s campaign to purge America of environmental regulations — particularly those impacting the fossil fuel industry — was stern and unrelenting.
2017
February. Easement granted for construction of Dakota Access pipeline.
March. Trump approves Keystone XL pipeline.
Also, Trump issues executive order eliminating previous estimates of the social cost of carbon, the harm done by one ton of CO2 emissions.
Trump proposes cutting EPA funding by 30%.
June. Trump begins process of withdrawing from Paris Agreement.
April. EPA moves to delay implementation of 2015 air quality standards limiting smog.
December. Trump issues presidential order cutting the size of two national monuments in Utah by two million acres, part of a larger attack on the national monument system.
2018
May. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission restricts consideration of climate change in approving new natural gas pipelines.
October. EPA fires independent scientists from its scientific advisory board to replace them with industry-connected experts.
2019
June. Replaced Obama’s Clean Power Plan with a token rule that would require coal-fired power plants to cut their carbon emissions by around 3%.
August. Trump Administration dials back protection for species that are threatened with extinction but not yet critically endangered.
September EPA revokes California’s authority to set greenhouse gas emission rules for vehicles.
Also, EPA and Army Corps of Engineers repeal Obama’s WOTUS rule and issue a new role removing from protection for wetlands and many small streams
2020
February. EPA relaxes restrictions on emissions of superpowerful greenhouse gases from refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
March. Trump Administration eliminates scheduled increases in auto fuel efficiency that were put in place by Obama, resulting in much higher greenhouse gas emissions.
June. EPA limits ability of states to block infrastructure projects for environmental reasons.
July. White House revamps rules for environmental impact statements, hoping to accelerate logging, oil, gas, and mining on public lands.
Also, eliminated Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstone grizzlies.
August. EPA eliminates restrictions on methane emissions by oil and gas companies.
November. U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement becomes effective.
December. EPA refuses to regulate the pesticide chloropyrifos, which it had previously found to be a danger to children’s brain development.
I have not included last-minute rollbacks issued in January 2021 in a desperate rush to do as much damage as possible to environmental policy before Biden took over.
About Dan
Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…
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