toxic pollutants

“National Security” is Becoming a Punch Line

A large white triumphal arch with gold statues and One Nation Under God inscribed at the top, set against a blue sky with clouds and surrounded by greenery.

Whenever he wants to roll back environmental protections, Trump cooks up a new national security justification.

A recent NY Times article recounts how often President Trump has invoked national security. It earnestly dissects his latest and most absurd claim: that the Arc deTrump  he wanted to build will be filled with snipers, ammunition, and drones. It turns out that the snipers would be in an excellent position to shoot out the crosses in Arlington National Cemetery but not to protect anything of strategic importance.  The environment has been one of Trump’s most fertile grounds for pretextual national security claims.

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“Necessary and Appropriate”

EPA has now formally proposed its response to the Supreme Court’s opinion in Michigan v. EPA

Although the Paris talks are justifiably getting the lion’s share of the attention, there have been other significant environmental actions recently. One of those involves the EPA’s effort to reduce toxic emissions from power plants (particularly coal-fired plants). The Clean Air Act gives special treatment to toxic emissions from power plants. Other sources are regulated …

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A Little-Noticed Toxic Provision of the House’s Continuing Resolution

From Grist: On Feb.17, in a 250-177 vote, the House of Representatives approved an amendment by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) to deny any funds to EPA to “implement, administer or enforce” mercury and other toxic air pollution standards for all cement plants in the country. The EPA standards that the House voted to block would …

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