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Donald Trump's return to the White House in January could reverse many of the United States' most significant efforts to address climate change, and overturn decades worth of environmental policies and regulations. The president-elect and his nominees for key government posts have promised to increase fossil fuel production, roll back rules aimed at curbing pollution, dismantle support for renewable energy, and diminish the U.S.' role in international climate negotiations.
The Washington Post put together a list of twelve of the biggest anti-environment, anti-climate changes Trump and his team could make:
- Withdraw from the Paris climate agreement
- Open up more areas for oil and gas drilling
- Weaken power plant rules
- Abolish a fee on methane
- Claw back clean energy subsidies
- Shrink national monuments
- End the pause on approving facilities and exporting liquified natural gas
- Scrap Biden’s environmental justice initiative
- Narrow protections for endangered plants and animals
- End climate disclosure rules for corporations
- Lift restrictions on auto emissions
- Stall federal clean energy purchasing
This industry-sponsored wishlist underscores the imperative that the Biden administration complete as many environmental regulations and actions with the time it has left, which the Washington Post is also tracking. There is still time left for President Joe Biden to establish more national monuments, and for his Interior department to finalize protections for threatened and endangered species and bring more renewable energy projects over the finish line.
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Dismantling environmental protections through federal lawsuits against states is likely if past is prologue.”
