The Trump administration is getting ready to utterly defang pollution rules stifling energy companies in order to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental activists are “horrified” by the announcement.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the proposal to end the rules during a speech at an auto dealership on Tuesday in Indiana.
‘If finalized, today’s announcement would amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.’
“We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA’s GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide which the Finding never assessed independently, was the real threat to Americans’ livelihoods,” reads a statement from Zeldin.
Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have already weakened or ended two of three programs meant to regulate tailpipe emissions, and this proposal will put an end to the third one.
However, the rules change will not likely be immediate, as the public will be allowed to comment on the proposal, and it’s likely to face many legal challenges.
“If finalized, today’s announcement would amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” Zeldin said.
An NPR report called the announcement a major victory for oil and energy companies, but it also “horrified” environmental activist groups.
A statement from Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp warned that climate change would worsen because of the actions taken by the Trump administration.
“Americans are already suffering from stronger hurricanes, more severe heat waves and floods, and more frequent fires. They are watching these climate disasters get worse, the danger to their lives and health intensify, and their power and insurance bills go up,” Krupp said in part.
“These actions would lead to a predictable result — if there are no enforced limits on pollution, you get more of it, making life more expensive and even more dangerous,” he added. “The stakes could not be higher for Americans.”
Moms Clean Air Force also released a histrionic statement against Zeldin.
“Our planet is burning. EPA’s response? Do nothing. This is a shameful, reckless, and immoral move — all so wealthy, well-connected insiders can benefit,” the group said in part.
“Families across the U.S. and across the world are already feeling the dangers of a hotter planet every single day as heat waves become more intense and deadly, floodwaters rise more rapidly, and harrowing wildfires burn across every season,” they added.
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