Environmental Setbacks: A Rapid Rollback

The past 100 days have witnessed a swift and sweeping reversal of environmental protections in the US. This administration has taken 145 actions to undo rules that safeguard clean air, water, and climate stability. This is more than what was done in the entire first term. This rapid pace of change has left many experts and activists concerned. The actions target almost every major policy aimed at reducing pollution, mitigating climate change, and preserving natural landscapes, oceans, forests, and wildlife. The administration has used executive orders, agency memos, and other policy moves to achieve this. They have deleted a wide range of green policies from the previous administration, frozen climate spending, and removed the US from the Paris climate accords. They have also set about rewriting pollution standards for various industries. The administration has also opened up vast areas of land and sea for oil and gas drilling, commercial fishing, and logging. This includes protected national monuments and endangered species habitats. The administration has explicitly favored the fossil fuel industry, which donated heavily to the presidential campaign. They have started to roll back rules on emissions of greenhouse gases and toxins, as well as pipeline safety regulations. The administration has declared an "energy emergency" that focuses solely on fossil fuels. They have ordered a revival of the coal industry, exempted dozens of coal power plants from clean air rules, and restarted gas exports. Meanwhile, they have blocked the approval of new solar projects and wind turbines. The administration has also taken an aggressive stance that experts say has skirted the law. They have ordered the attorney general to target cities and states that have implemented laws to tackle the climate crisis. The Department of Transportation has sought to tear down New York City's congestion charge for cars entering lower Manhattan. A sweeping executive order has demanded that at least 25 energy and environment laws expire next year unless they are explicitly renewed. This maximalist approach faces major legal hurdles, even with a rightwing-dominated supreme court. The haste of the rollbacks was exemplified on a single day, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 31 actions to revise pollution standards. These standards were on track to save 200, 000 lives and even reconsider whether greenhouse gases pose a public health risk. The administration has also focused on personal fixations, such as banning paper straws from federal offices and changing water efficiency rules for toilets and showers. This has raised concerns about the administration's disregard for proper rule-making processes. The summer will be busy as agencies try to put words to paper on how to meet these executive orders. However, the lack of expertise in-house to do that will make it harder. The rapid pace of the rollbacks may not slow down during the rest of the term, even if largely checked by the courts. The result will be fewer environmental protections and more people suffering the public health consequences of more pollution. It's that straightforward. The administration's actions have left climate activists aghast. They have never seen an American president so hostile to science and so beholden to fossil fuel interests. The scope and scale of the assaults on protections for people and the planet are simply breathtaking. Every move takes the country and the world backwards to a time only the administration and their friends think was great. The oil industry, though, has expressed delight. They see the administration's actions as a clear message of support for affordable, reliable, and secure American energy.