ENVIRONMENT POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Environment Posts
Making a Splash in Trumpland
In 2010, after the deadliest and most expensive offshore oil spill in U.S. history, the “Deepwater Horizon” spill, former U.S. president, Barack Obama, implemented a policy to ensure that a conservation council would advocate conservation and sustainable use of US waters. The Bureau of Ocean management called Obama’s policy,
Trump Backpedals on Coal
On May 29th, the Trump Administration circulated a confidential document, which was then leaked by an outside source, proposing that the American government intervene within American energy markets. As a result, the program has prompted Donald Trump to order Energy Secretary Rick Perry to “prepare immediate steps” to halt the closures of unprofitable coal and nuclear plants throughout the United States.
EPA Set to Rollback Automotive Standards
Brief #32---Environmental Policy Update June 5, 2018 On Thursday, May 31, the EPA formally submitted its proposal to repeal the climate change rules that would require auto makers to double fuel efficiency to an average of 50 miles per gallon by model year 2025....
Axing NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System
Houston, NASA appears to be having a problem. In 2012, now-president, Donald Trump famously tweeted that, “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese” and alleged that the phenomenon of climate change was a conspiracy to undermine American manufacturing.
Update on Scott Pruitt’s Investigation by Congress for Excess Spending, Secret Emails and Ethics Controversy
Update May 21, 2018
In late April, Scott Pruitt had a hearing on Capitol Hill regarding his various ethical controversies. Over the course of the two sessions, Pruitt did admit that he knew about the raises for two of his aides but little else, primarily placing blame on EPA aides and staff.
Zinke Faces the U.S. Senate
Earlier this month, Department of the Interior head, Ryan Zinke, a self-declared geologist, faced a senate hearing to address his proposed 2019 budget. However, this hearing may expand to include his numerous scandals.
EPA Set to Rollback Automotive Standards
Earlier this month Pruitt announced another step in Trump’s “regulatory agenda” with the plan to lessen automotive regulations on emissions and fuel economy. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were revised in 2010 to require a minimum fuel efficiency of 54.5 miles to the gallon (double the current typical average) by model year 2025.
UPDATED:Scott Pruitt Under Investigation by Congress for Excess Spending, Secret Emails and Ethics Controversy
In letters sent to President Trump and the EPA Secretary Pruitt, the Oversight Committee of U.S. Congress requested documents from Secretary Pruitt as they investigate the myriad of controversies that have arisen around the EPA’s lead administrator. Pruitt is currently past the given deadline to produce the documents, and the deadline has been extended to April 25, 2018.
Judge Rules That Environmental Studies Are Not Required for Border Wall Construction Order in re: Border Infrastructure Environmental Legislation; Case 3:17-cv-01215-GPC-WVG
Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel ruled that the Trump Administration and the Department of Homeland Security have not exceeded their legal limits in waiving environmental reviews based on the REAL ID law of 2005. This Bush era law allows Federal agencies to waive previously required environmental reviews.