Dismantling Environmental Protections— EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has undergone significant changes under the Trump administration, with leadership appointments favoring deregulation and fossil fuel interests. The administration’s transition team for climate and the environment, led by former oil and coal lobbyists, is preparing to dismantle offices working to reduce pollution and expand drilling and mining on public lands. These actions signal a shift away from environmental protection toward industrial development. 

One of the most consequential initiatives is the attempt to overturn the EPA’s endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, a cornerstone of federal climate policy. This finding, established in 2009, obligates the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions due to their threat to public health. Revoking it would undermine the legal basis for many climate regulations, potentially leading to increased emissions and hindering efforts to combat climate change. 

The administration has also targeted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which represented America’s largest climate investment with $369 billion earmarked for clean energy. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to halt IRA funding, causing uncertainty in the clean energy industry. While some payments have been temporarily restored by federal courts, the administration continues to freeze funds and target energy efficiency standards and methane fees. This approach threatens to reverse progress made in reducing emissions and promoting renewable energy. 

These policy shifts within the EPA and related environmental initiatives have profound implications for sustainability. By weakening regulatory frameworks designed to protect the environment and promote clean energy, the administration risks increasing pollution levels, exacerbating climate change, and undermining public health. The focus on deregulation and fossil fuel expansion at the expense of environmental protection challenges the nation’s ability to achieve sustainability goals and transition to a low-carbon economy.