Environment

This is the opposite of draining the swamp.  It's not enough that Trump has corrupted our norms and trampled our Constitution.  One final push to pollute the environment, destroy sacred sites, and obliterate endangered species on his way out.

The Trump administration is rushing to approve a final wave of large-scale mining and energy projects on federal lands, encouraged by investors who want to try to ensure the projects move ahead even after President-elect Biden takes office.

Before President Biden takes office, the fascist MAGA regime is rushing to invite oil companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Evil beyond comprehension.

The Republican Cult is doing everything possible to further downgrade our quality of life.  Instead of concentrating on a peaceful tradition or fighting COVID-19, Trump's cronies are fast tracking regulatory changes at the EPA, USDA and others.  This high-speed deregulation is reckless and shameful, putting the public's safety at grave risk.

Even as Trump and his allies officially refuse to concede the Nov. 3 election, the White House and federal agencies are hurrying to finish dozens of regulatory changes before Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

Following a historic Presidental election in which President-elect Biden crushed Trump, Smart Dissent took three weeks off from new posts after not taking a week off since February 2017.  We're back with new additions to our database because Trump and Republicans continue to undermine our nation on their way out.  We hope to not need to add nearly as much as we get into 2021 but will post as needed.

With that in mind, let's look back to 11/9/20:

Alrighty, here is it.... our Election Day 2020 post.  Trump and Republicans have been consistently corrupt for four years.  Read on.

 The Trump administration has recently removed the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation’s premier scientific agency, installed new political staff who have questioned accepted facts about climate change and imposed stricter controls on communications at the agency.

In June 2020, we wrote about the Interior Department appointing acting directors and circumventing the Senate approval process.  A federal judge has caught on and stopped one of them.

A federal judge ruled [September 25, 2020] that Trump’s leading steward of public lands has been serving unlawfully, blocking him from continuing in the position....

Trump is allowing companies to poison you and the environment to help coal lobbyists cut costs.

The Trump administration on August 31, 20202 relaxed strict standards for how coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater laced with dangerous pollutants like lead, selenium and arsenic, a move environmental groups said would leave rivers and streams vulnerable to toxic contamination.

Climate action is far less expensive than climate inaction.

Have you ever heard of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB)?  Chances are you haven't unless you work in certain industries.  How important can it be then?  Extremely, as it turns out.  It's among many similar government agencies being quietly destroyed by the Trump administration to the delight of Republicans.

In August 2017, Smart Dissent had this post discussing Scott Pruitt and the EPA's attempt to suspend a rule that restricts methane emissions to fight climate change.   At that time, a court blocked the suspension of the rule, a legal setback for Pruitt, Zinke, and Trump, who are trying to roll back dozens of Obama-era environmental regul