The Destruction of the Environmental Protection Agency Occurring in Secret

Scott Pruitt has called for the dissolution of much of the EPA, yet now runs the Environmental Protection Agency.  He is a seasoned legal opponent of the agency and is incredibly effective tool for Trump and Republican efforts to dismantle regulations on climate change and clean water and "get rid" of the agency.  Pruitt and the White House are waging a war against science, safety, and common sense in order to benefit their favored corporate interests.  At a time when our nation and the world would benefit from a more supported EPA, the exact opposite has occurred; an impossible pill to swallow.

Trump and the Republican Party are so dangerous right now because terrible things are occurring without anyone realizing it.  The television news and much of the print media are endlessly distracted with the big headlines.  While a common refrain is that Trump is being blocked from most of his policies, that is simply not the case.

Trump’s true legacy may well be defined not by the laws he does or more likely doesn’t pass, but by his decision to put Scott Pruitt in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.... at a time when much of the Trump administration seems paralyzed by lack of leadership and key personnel, Pruitt is firing on all cylinders — but not because he’s making the E.P.A. more effective. On the contrary, he’s engaged in sabotage from the top, moving quickly to undermine his own agency’s mission — not just its efforts against climate change, but its role in protecting the environment across the board.

This is an unpopular agenda, or it would be if people knew about it.

Judith Enck, former EPA administrator for New York and New Jersey calls current EPA head Scott Pruitt, "The worst EPA administrator in history."  Enck says Pruitt appears "unwilling or unable to carry out the basic statutory mission of the EPA, which is enforcement of our environmental laws."

...as he works to roll back regulations, close offices and eliminate staff at the agency charged with protecting the nation’s environment and public health, Mr. Pruitt is taking extraordinary measures to conceal his actions, according to interviews with more than 20 current and former agency employees.  Doors to the floor are now frequently locked, and employees have to have an escort to gain entrance.  Some employees say they are also told to leave behind their cellphones when they meet with Mr. Pruitt, and are sometimes told not to take notes.

...with advice from industry lobbyists, Mr. Pruitt has taken aim at an agency whose policies have been developed and enforced by thousands of the E.P.A.’s career scientists and policy experts.  Mr. Pruitt’s efforts to undo a major water protection rule are one example of his moves to quickly and stealthily dismantle regulations.

“There’s a feeling of paranoia in the agency — employees feel like there’s been a hostile takeover and the guy in charge is treating them like enemies,” said Christopher Sellers, an expert in environmental history at Stony Brook University, who this spring conducted an interview survey with about 40 E.P.A. employees.

Pruitt knowns that the dismantling of environmental law will take time and effort but his desire to boost corporate profits is immediate.  So in order to effectively destroy our environment on behalf of his corporate interests as quickly as possible, his EPA has stopped enforcing existing laws.

Since Trump took office in January, enforcement of environmental laws has dropped dramatically, compared with past administrations. A study released by the Environmental Integrity Project finds that $12 million in civil penalties have been collected from violators in 26 cases between January and the end of July.  That's significantly less than the number of cases prosecuted and the penalties collected under the same six month period by the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations.   So far, penalties collected by Trump's EPA are 60 percent lower than the average of the three previous administrations.  "President Trump campaigned on a promise of 'law and order,' but apparently law enforcement for big polluters is not what he had in mind," said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project and former Director of Civil Enforcement at EPA.

The gutting of environmental regulation and lack of enforcement should be alarming to everyone.  In fact, even the oil and gas industry are concerned despite being puppet masters of Trump and Pruitt:

Publicly, petroleum companies and their trade groups are cheering Trump’s efforts to undo former President Obama’s environmental regulations...But quietly, people in the industry are growing worried that deregulation could backfire on them, according to interviews with a dozen executives, lobbyists, lawyers and analysts.  Among their fears: Laxer rules could set the stage for an environmental disaster like 2010’s BP oil spill in the Gulf, which blackened the industry’s reputation and spurred a regulatory clampdown.

"Every industry wants regulations that make sense, but you don't need to roll things back so far that it opens an opportunity for outsiders to criticize, or something bad happens," said Brian Youngberg, an energy analyst at the investment firm Edward Jones. A person at one oil and gas company expressed similar worries. "It's not helpful if regulations are streamlined so as to allow something to happen — say, a methane explosion or a spill — and we'd be painted with it as an entire industry," said the person, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Paul Krugman summarized the issue succinctly last week: "...don’t say that the administration’s agenda is stalled.  Some parts are, but other parts are moving right along. When it comes to environmental policy, Trump will definitely change America — and his legacy will literally be toxic."

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ACTION: Organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Coucil, 350.org, the Sierra Club will be fighting hard against this administration.  Read up on their work at their web sites, follow them on Twitter, and give a donation to them or similar groups.  We need environmental groups to be well funded to fight this fight.  Their web sites have concrete ways you can get involved beyond giving them money if this fighting for this cause drives you.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa.html
http://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542603483/environmental-penalties-are-down-under-president-trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/opinion/trump-pruitt-polluted-climate-.html
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/25/oil-and-gas-allies-want-trump-to-slow-down-242008