Although previous presidents have been loath to challenge the EPA, Donald Trump has signaled that he is ready to take on the hegemony of the organization. According to a briefing document from the president’s transition team, they are preparing to reduce funding for the agency in addition to overhauling its regulatory and scientific duties, including but not limited to allowing for greater oversight over the EPA’s decision-making process:
“The document says that the EPA should not fund scientific research, should make all science used for regulatory decisions public and should overhaul its scientific advisory board.It also lists numerous regulations to cut, including the carbon dioxide rules for new and existing power plants, the Waters of the United States rule, and the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan.The extent to which the plan aligns with official Trump administration policies is unclear, as is whether they’re merely wishes of the transition team. On the campaign trail, President Trump promised big changes at the EPA as well as a major regulatory rollback, though he did not mention much of the items in the transition plan.Many of the major pieces in the document would require approval from Congress. Some parts, like the state and tribal assistance grants, enjoy strong bipartisan support.”In a memo sent out to staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Trump Administration has prohibited press releases, social media postings, blog posts or new content placed on the agency’s website.
It is also being reported that the EPA has been instructed to freeze all grants, which includes programs surrounding research and air quality monitoring. Meanwhile,
Good! It is about time to stop the over-bearing attitude of the EPA, over the American people themselves and the US based businesses (both small & large businesses). Finally..
This pig likes it dirty