Trump administration decides to revoke environmental regulations: 'We are celebrating the end of the Green New Deal'

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Wednesday that they will review at least 31 environmental regulations implemented as part of the fight against climate change. Zeldin argued that this step would allow businesses to grow and infrastructure projects to develop.

In an EPA press release, Zeldin stated that more than a dozen key rules, including vehicle emission standards, pollution from power plants, and scientific findings related to climate change, would be re-evaluated. Using the phrase ''Today we are celebrating the end of the Green New Deal,'' Zeldin claimed that these steps would reduce regulatory costs by trillions of dollars.

According to a report by The Washington Post, the EPA will also review regulations such as water pollution limits for coal-fired power plants, air quality standards, and the requirement for major emitters to report greenhouse gas emissions. Zeldin emphasized that rules restricting oil and gas production and targeting coal-fired power plants, in particular, would be re-evaluated.

Zeldin hinted that they could also re-evaluate the 'endangerment finding' issued by the EPA in 2009, which states that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane cause global warming. This finding formed the basis for the EPA's regulations on greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin

IT WILL AFFECT ALL CLIMATE RULES

David Doniger, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, stated that the endangerment finding is at the heart of climate protection measures, saying, 'This finding is the cornerstone upon which all climate protection rules are based.' Doniger expressed that any attempt by the EPA to change this finding would face major challenges in court.

Environmental organizations opposed this move by the EPA, arguing that the withdrawal of the regulations would have serious negative impacts on the environment and human health. Jason Rylander of the Center for Biological Diversity said, “This is an unprecedented attack in the 54-year history of the EPA.” Rylander stated that the revocation of so many regulations would lead to a major legal battle.

Doniger, stating that removing the regulations requires a long process and that they will face legal challenges at every step, said the following:

'They cannot eliminate these rules with a press release. They will have to follow a separate process for each one and defend them in court.'

WILL COSTS BE PRIORITIZED OVER HUMAN HEALTH?

An EPA employee who did not want to be named said, 'This is a shameful situation. This is not the EPA we dedicated our careers to.' The employee criticized the administration for prioritizing costs over human health and environmental protection.

In response to the criticisms, Zeldin emphasized that the EPA's core mission is to protect human health and the environment, stating:

'To achieve these goals, we prefer the path of partnership instead of bureaucracy, and cooperation instead of regulation.'

In another statement made on the same day, the EPA announced that it would terminate its environmental justice programs. Zeldin ordered the closure of Environmental Justice Offices in 10 regions. The agency had previously placed approximately 170 environmental justice employees on leave.