Since taking office, Former President Donald Trump has initiated 145 rollbacks of regulations that safeguard clean air, clean water, and a stable climate. Most impressive of all was how he achieved this remarkable feat within the very first 100 days of his new administration. This singular aggressive deregulatory push has eclipsed the combined total of all rollbacks he was able to push through during his four year first term as president. The emphasis on fossil fuels extraction and deregulation by the Trump administration has sent shivers down the spines of environmental advocates and scientists everywhere.
Trump’s administration continues to lead the charge on an anti-environment, energy agenda. Their slogan, “drill, baby, drill” is meant to increase oil and gas production across the entire country. By favoring fossil fuel interests—who significantly contributed to his presidential campaign—Trump’s policies have sparked criticism for their potential long-term impacts on both the environment and public health.
The administration has systematically eliminated numerous Biden-era green policies, effectively freezing climate spending and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accords. We can’t wait to see you there! On March 12, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stole media attention with a bold announcement of 31 swift rollbacks to pollution standards—the most at once in a single day.
Among the most hotly contested measures is the administration’s plan to radically rewrite pollution standards for cars and power plants. These rollbacks of stringent regulations are intended to increase domestic oil and gas production. It will permit unregulated commercial fishing in ocean sanctuaries. In addition, Trump has specifically set aside huge swaths of land—most notably, in the Arctic—for new drilling operations. These moves have sparked the anger of environmentalists who worry about creating irreversible harm to the environment.
Trump further proves his love for fossil fuels by permitting destruction of up to half of timber from national forests. This decision places most of these lands within reach of industrial logging operations. Environmental advocates have pointed out that these types of actions undermine biodiversity and the connective nature of our ecosystems.
As our own Michael Burger warned last summer, the Trump administration is moving at an unprecedented pace and scale to roll back environmental protections.
“What we’ve seen in this first 100 days is unprecedented – the deregulatory ambition of this administration is mind-blowing,” – Michael Burger.
Burger went on to point out that the current administration is doing all of this with unprecedented oversight, frequently subverting regulatory channels altogether.
“They are doing things faster and with less process than last time, often disregarding the law. The intent is to shock, overwhelm and to overcome resistance through sheer force of numbers,” – Michael Burger.
When challenged in court, Trump’s administration has claimed that its policies are saving lives in the end. But critics are just as wary, raising concerns over the motives driving so many drastic changes at once. Jason Rylander, environmental attorney for Defenders of Wildlife, called the development “extremely concerning.”
“Never before has an American president been so hostile to science and so beholden to fossil fuel interests,” – Jason Rylander.
Since taking office, Trump has not only ignored climate change — he’s actively rolled back important environmental protections. He’s achieved headlines too by banning paper straws in federal offices resolutions many find unnecessary—and even ridiculous. This juxtaposition serves to frame the larger narrative for Biden’s anti-environment record—one that puts immediate economic gain above environmental justice and prosperity for future generations.
In their defense, they claim to be delivering results historically at an unheard of speed.
“We’re achieving historic results at record speed and we’re just getting started,” – White House spokesperson.
Doug Burgum, a supporter of Trump’s energy policies, echoed this sentiment by asserting:
“America is sitting on a treasure trove of energy, and under President Trump’s leadership, we’re unlocking it.”
Meanwhile, the administration’s approach has led to legal challenges from various environmental groups arguing that these actions violate existing laws intended to safeguard public health and the environment.
Carrie Jenks voiced her concerns about the lack of due process in implementing these new rules:
“Just saying ‘because I said so’ isn’t a good reason to not go through proper rule-making and it’s concerning that this is being applied to certain rules,” – Carrie Jenks.
As the Trump administration marches further down this dangerous path, many experts foresee major legal showdowns in the future. Others fear that this extreme deregulatory rush could lead to a constitutional crisis. Perhaps they’re most concerned that if legal challenges aren’t done right, the tide would turn.
“What the administration is doing is unlawful and so the most likely scenario is that they will lose. The less likely, but possible, outcome is that the system falls apart and bends to the will of one man but let’s hope that doesn’t happen because then we will be in constitutional crisis mode,” – Michael Burger.