Friend — Decades of environmental protections are on the line if we don't act now.

Trump just issued an executive order that has the potential to suspend environmental protections — permanently.

Fracking operations could spill more waste into drinking water. Oil refineries could release more carcinogens. Industrial sites could emit more air pollution, harming respiratory health. And polluters wouldn't have to tell the EPA or the public.

There's still a window to stop him. Trump is requiring agencies like the EPA to submit plans on which regulations to suspend permanently, telling them to "go to town" — but he didn't set firm guidelines. So there's still a chance to stop the worst case scenario from happening — if we raise hell now, before the EPA finalizes their proposal.

We need you. Because the implications of this executive order could be so far-reaching and damaging, a donor has agreed to triple-match every gift made to LCV — but the deadline is midnight tonight.

If you make an emergency gift to LCV before midnight, your gift will go 3x as far. Can you chip in today?

See our message below from earlier this week for more details — and thank you for your help in saving our most important environmental protections.

Gene Karpinski

"I'm directing agencies to review the hundreds of regulations we've already suspended in response to the virus and make these suspensions permanent where possible." — Donald Trump

DEVELOPING… President Trump has ordered federal agencies to eliminate regulations across the government, saying, "go to town." Agencies have not yet responded, but the order is expected to have widespread repercussions at the EPA in particular.

Earlier in the COVID-19 crisis, the Trump administration indefinitely suspended enforcement of virtually all environmental safeguards at the EPA. It has been a total disaster — corporations have been told they no longer need to monitor pollution levels.

Since that announcement, industry groups have been quietly pushing to extend those changes. This executive order is the trigger that could make that happen — effectively ending all enforcement of key environmental laws at EPA permanently.

We still have a short window to intervene — and the truth is, our ability to organize effectively will depend on our financial resources. Today, the best way to be a part of the response effort is to make an emergency contribution. A donor has agreed to triple-match every gift through the end of the month.

Please — make an emergency contribution today. We CAN stop Trump from permanently gutting the EPA — but we need to move quickly. Even $5 is enough to make a difference »

Here's the thing — Trump's actual order is still somewhat vague, and that gives us a window to stop him. He says he's "instructing federal agencies to use any and all authority to weigh, suspend, and eliminate unnecessary regulations that impede economic recovery."

"…and we want to leave it that way, we want to leave it that way. In some cases, we won't be able to, but in other cases, we will."

Trump's been known to back down from fights that seem tough. That's not the case for the environmental movement. So far we've successfully blocked multiple attempts from the Trump administration to siphon off COVID-19 relief funds to the oil industry. Trump has backed off or tried backdoor alternatives because we've mobilized public outcry and people are on our side.

We're at a critical moment. Federal agencies are coming up with their proposals to Trump right now. If we mount a major response effort — there's still a shot that they back off on some of the worst attacks on the environment.

You can truly make a difference right now. This pandemic is fundamentally changing the future of environmental policy in our country — it's a moment when the environmental movement cannot stay silent.

We MUST fight with everything we've got to get the EPA back to work. We need to light up the phones. We need to mount aggressive pressure campaigns. We need to raise hell. This will take a huge organizing push, but with your help — we can do this.

Please, please, friend — we can't sit this one out. A donor is triple-matching every gift through the end of this month — even $5 will go a long way! Make a donation now »

We'll keep you updated as this story develops — thank you, as always, for your commitment to protecting our environment.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation Voters