The U.S. Congress Formally Discuss the
After Trump officially took office as President of the United States, he drastically cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency and is working to repeal a series of environmental protection regulations.
On February 3, 2017, the U.S. Congress announced a proposal from Senator Matt Gaetz, titled "To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency" in 2018. The National Environmental Protection Agency will be abolished at the end of the year. The progress shows that the proposal has been submitted to four relevant professional committees of Congress for discussion, namely the Energy and Commerce Committee (House Energy and Commerce); the Agriculture Committee (House Agriculture); and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (House Transportation and Infrastructure). ; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (House Science, Space, and Technology).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had a 2016 annual budget of $8.139 billion and a staff of 15,376 people. The bill to "abolish the Environmental Protection Agency" was sponsored by Senator Matt Gaetz from Florida's 1st District. Matt Gates was born on May 7, 1982. He is a member of the Republican Party and has served as the President of the Florida Senate since 2012. In 2016, he ran for the House of Representatives on behalf of the Republican Party and was elected. This is the first bill proposed by Matt Gaetz as a member of Congress. The bill was also co-signed by three other Republican congressmen:
1. Thomas Massie (born January 13, 1971), Republican, federal Congressman, from Kentucky’s 4th District.
2. Steven M. Palazzo (born February 21, 1970), Republican, U.S. Representative from Mississippi’s 4th District.
3. Barry Dean Loudermilk (born December 22, 1963), Republican, U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th District.
Trump advocates policies that prioritize economic development and worker employment, which makes him extremely dissatisfied with the policies of the National Environmental Protection Agency, calling the agency a "disgrace" to the country. As early as 2012, Trump tweeted: "The concept of global warming was created by the Chinese in order to make American manufacturing lose competitiveness." After Trump officially took office as President of the United States, he drastically reduced budget for the Environmental Protection Agency and is working to repeal a range of environmental protection regulations. In order to further advance Trump's environmental policies, Republican congressmen formally submitted this "bill to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency" to the Senate on February 3.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established on January 1, 1970. The background was that environmental pollution in the United States had caused strong public dissatisfaction across the country. The trigger for the establishment of the National Environmental Protection Agency was also the environment represented by the Cuyahoga River. pollution problem. The Cuyahoga River is a river in Ohio that empties into Lake Erie in Cleveland. The Cuyahoga River has long been polluted by wastewater and industrial waste. Six serious pollution incidents occurred from 1868 to 1969. Reports in the American media in the 1960s predicted the imminent demise of Lake Erie. On January 1, 1970, according to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 signed by President Nixon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established. In 1972, the far-reaching Clean Water Act was promulgated. Clean Water Act), Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes, was also the first to receive a new lease of life. It can be said that the clear water and blue sky in the United States today have not always existed, but thanks to the rescue of the National Environmental Protection Agency, a series of environmental protection regulations and regulatory actions have changed the face of environmental pollution and created an America with clear water and blue sky.
According to data revealed at a congressional hearing on the controversy over the regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency in July 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency promulgated a total of 3,900 regulations in seven and a half years, totaling more than 33,000 pages. According to a 2014 research report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's 21st Century Energy Institute, the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's emission reduction plan will cause the U.S. economy to lose $51 billion annually. On the evening of January 10th, Eastern Time, Obama and his family delivered an emotional farewell speech in Chicago. In his speech, he once again warned Trump about addressing climate change: "If we do not take more active environmental protection measures, our next generation will not have time to discuss whether environmental change exists, but will be busy dealing with the consequences of environmental change. If we deny the existence of environmental problems, we are not only betraying the next generation, but also betraying the spirit of historical pioneers who sought innovation and solved real problems."
Two important policies proposed by the Obama administration in the environmental field are the "Climate Action Plan" and the "Clean Water Act." Three days before U.S. President-elect Trump was sworn in, the Obama administration announced on January 17, 2017, that it would allocate an additional US$500 million to the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund as President Obama’s previous commitment to the United Nations. part of $3 billion in environmental funding. In addition to the US$500 million allocated by the Obama administration in March last year, the Obama administration has donated US$1 billion in environmental protection funds to United Nations organizations.
The Environmental Protection Agency's huge contribution to the environment is officially recognized by people, but the work behind it is not remembered. After 40 years of work, it is considered a "rogue" agency that continues to expand its powers. It is almost ready to be eliminated and then quickly. It can be described as political ruthless.
Trump believes that the various environmental protection policies of the US Environmental Protection Agency are important obstacles to US economic growth. This is an important reason why Trump and current Environmental Protection Agency Director Pruitt must quickly remove them. In a Fox News interview in October 2015, Trump said that if the tax cut plan was implemented, the EPA's budget would be significantly reduced, and he called the EPA's actions a "disgrace." When the host asked who would protect the environment without the National Environmental Protection Agency, he insisted, "We will be fine with the environment," but added: "You can leave a little (budget), but you You can’t destroy business”. In his eyes, everything must revolve around economic construction. During the election, Trump believed that climate change was a hoax, threatened to withdraw from the United Nations' Paris Agreement on climate change, and launched the "America First Energy Plan."
On December 7, 2016, US President-elect Trump nominated Scott Pruitt to serve as Director of the US Environmental Protection Agency. On February 2, 2017, Pruitt, Trump’s nominee for National Environmental Protection Agency, was approved by the Republican-controlled Congress. Pruitt has billed himself as "a leader in aggressive anti-EPA action." Last May, he wrote in the conservative National Review that “scientists continue to debate the extent and scope of global warming and its connection to human activities. These debates should be encouraged, whether in the classroom Dissent should not be a crime because of the risk of prosecution, whether in public forums or in Congress.” Like Trump, he conflated long-term statistical global warming with localized climate changes on a specific day or year, calling it a scientific dispute. It is particularly worth mentioning that Pruitt sued the State Environmental Protection Agency 14 times in an attempt to prevent the promulgation of relevant environmental regulations, but these lawsuits were ultimately lost at the time.
On the day Trump took office (January 20), the White House’s official website issued a statement stating that Trump was “committed to eliminating negative and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan.” Trump will also focus on removing obstacles to domestic energy development, signaling that he will wean the United States away from foreign oil. After the Obama administration vetoed two oil pipeline projects in the country on environmental protection grounds because the project could threaten local drinking water sources and Native American cultural sites, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended the project and said it would find alternatives. route. Trump’s policy statement stated: “The Trump Administration is convinced that the shale oil and natural gas revolution can bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans.” It also mentioned, “President Trump has promised to get rid of OPEC’s (OPEC) will not rely on any country that is detrimental to our interests. At the same time, we will also work with our Gulf allies to develop positive energy relations as part of our counterterrorism strategy.” long-lasting coal mining industry.”
In his first week in office, President Trump signed several environment-related executive orders at the White House: freezing the Environmental Protection Agency and calling for the reopening of negotiations on the construction of the Keysont XL oil pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline. The move demonstrated his determination to reshape environmental policy. On January 24, the Trump administration announced that it would suspend funding to support the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) and prohibit E.P.A. staff from updating information in any form and on any online platform. In addition, the Trump administration has also banned E.P.A. staff from accepting interviews with the media. On the same day, Trump took action to promote the construction of two oil pipelines in the central United States. Trump signed an executive order calling for the reopening of negotiations to build the Keysont XL oil pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Keystone pipeline is designed to transport Canadian crude oil across the United States to oil refineries near the Gulf of Mexico. The Dakota Access Pipeline is expected to transport oil from North Dakota to southern Illinois. Trump said the United States will re-open negotiations with Canadian officials on the terms of the cornerstone project. "If they want to, we will look at whether we can build that pipeline. It will bring a lot of jobs, it will bring 28,000 A great construction job.”
Trump is not the first to weaken environmental protection agencies through "sanding" methods. Thirty-five years ago, Republican President Reagan also tried. Anne Gorsuch Burford was an anti-environmentalist appointed by President Reagan to run the National Environmental Protection Agency in 1981. She was also entrusted with the important task of weakening the National Environmental Protection Agency. Anne believed that the Environmental Protection Agency was too large and was especially unfriendly to business. In her first year in office, she cut 22% of the Environmental Protection Agency's budget, reduced regulatory policies related to clean air and water resources, and accelerated the approval of chemical pesticide production. However, just 22 months later, she faced opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and even her deregulated chemical industry openly opposed her, and was eventually forced to resign. The Trump administration may have intentionally forgotten this lesson.
Pruitt first has to face the "enemy" within. Bureaucrats and public servants at all levels of the EPA share similar values and are likely to be incompatible with Pruitt or even become a stumbling block to his efforts. It was on the inside that Anne was held back at every turn. According to Lisa Garcia, senior adviser to the Environmental Protection Agency, people within the Environmental Protection Agency expressed shock at Pruitt's nomination and were worried about how to implement the Environmental Protection Agency's mission.
There is no doubt that local governments such as states and cities controlled by the Democratic Party and various environmental groups will use legal proceedings to stop Pruitt. Schneiderman, the Democratic attorney general of New York State, has publicly vowed to use all legal means to force the Environmental Protection Agency under Pruitt to enforce environmental laws. In addition, not all American businesses welcome Pruitt, even those who believe they will benefit from looser regulations. On November 17, 2016, during the World Climate Summit in Morocco, 365 American entrepreneurs and investors sent an open letter to Trump asking to "reaffirm our inner commitment to addressing climate change through the historic Paris Climate Agreement." On January 10, 2017, 630 well-known American companies with a total output value of more than 1 trillion US dollars issued another open letter to Trump urging him to abide by his commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.
On January 20, 2017, less than a few minutes after Trump was sworn in as President of the United States, California immediately announced new policies to combat climate change, stating that under a government that questions the reality of global warming, California is committed to taking responsibility for protecting the U.S. environment. responsibility. The plan was released 37 minutes after Trump's ceremony, which California officials said was just a coincidence. California outlines how it will reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The plan is expected to put California at odds with Trump on climate change issues, including a dispute over California's decades-long authority to limit emissions. California's emissions limits are much stricter than many other parts of the country. The California plan includes an extension of California's controversial carbon trading program and calls for the state's refining industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. "Climate change is currently impacting California, and we must continue to take drastic action and address the problem head-on to maintain and improve the quality of life in California," said Mary Nichols, director of the California Air Resources Board.
Of course, Trump’s environmental protection policies also have supporters. Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe praised Pruitt's leadership on environmental matters. Inhofe said in a statement: "Pruitt has vigorously fought back against unconstitutional and overheated environmental regulations, such as the American Water Rules and the Clean Power Plan; he has proven that being a good steward of the environment does not Not meant to impose restrictions on taxpayers and businesses. Before his time on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Pruitt had proven that he was an expert on environmental laws and the best at understanding how the United States enforces those laws.”
