Two weeks Trump announced in a news conference that we now have the cleanest air and the cleanest water in the world. He talked as if he was the one responsible for this, when actually all the presidents before him are the ones that passed the laws and made the regulations that made it possible. Trumps policies will change all that and more people all over America will suffer from asthma and other lung conditions connected to greenhouse gas emissions. Trump has overturned over 83 regulations related to climate mitigation and adaptation rules.
1. Seeks to repeal and replace the Clean Power Plan so that States are given a wide latitude in deciding how to regulate emissions from power plants
2. Changed the Guidance on Greenhouse Gas emissions in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) so states could allow more GHG’s.
3. Issued new draft seeking to lift the ban on further leased land for coal mining.
4. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) amended six resource management plans (RMPs) in the western U.S. to remove protections and lift restrictions on mineral development on approximately 9 million acres of land in the west, opening these areas for oil and gas leasing and other extractive uses. This is the largest action undertaken by the Trump administration to date to open federal lands for fossil fuel leasing. It covers federal lands in Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, and Wyoming.
5. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a proposal for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Their proposal would open up anywhere from 66-100% of the 1.5 million acre coastal plain to oil and gas development
6. The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a proposal to repeal regulations issued in 2017 that expanded the number of light bulbs subject to energy efficiency standards which go into effect next year. . Commentators have noted that this rollback could cost U.S. consumers billions of dollars in lost energy savings.
7. EPA is proposing to increase the CO2 emission standard for new coal-fired power plants from 1,400 lbs per MWh to 1,900 lbs per MWh.
8. EPA published proposed revisions to its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for controlling methane and other emissions from the oil and natural gas sector, which include significant changes to the leak detection and repair requirements for sources in this sector.
9. Modified existing regulations so as to streamline and expedite the issuance of oil and gas permits on national forest lands.
Trump has made many more changes which will dangerously affect our clean air and water, and destroy our public lands and forests. America the Beautiful will become Trumps—“America, the more money for my gas and oil friends—and me country!” You can go to this website to see the total list of Trumps attempts to do away with everything that is in place that protects you and your family from the effects of Climate Change. (http://columbiaclimatelaw.com/resources/climate-deregulation-tracker/ )
Bette Holland
Dawsonville