PBS News Hour | What to expect from Trump on climate, environmental policy | Season 2024

DURING THE CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP SAID HE WANTS TO GET RID OF VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATIONS INTENDED TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS AND TO MOVE AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS.

HE’S ALSO CALLED FOR THE REPEAL OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, PRESIDENT BIDEN’S SIGNATURE CLIMATE LAW.

EVEN AS THE INCOOMING ADMINISTRATION’S TEAM DRAFTS EXECUTIVE ORDERS FOR THE NEW PRESIDENT TO SIGN ON INAUGURATION DAY, OFFICIALS IN THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION ARE TRYING TO LOCK IN THEIR POLICIES.

MATTHEW DALY COVERS CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY POLICY FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, WHAT FIRST CAN WE EXPECT, UH, ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN ENVIRONMENT?

MATTHEW: WELL, I THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT TO EXPECT.

BASICALLY EVERYTHING THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS TRIED TO DO.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING TO TRY TO UNDO AND YOU MENTIONED THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, WHICH IS A WIDE REACHING LAW THAT BASICALLY TRIES TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PROMOTE CLEAN ENERGY AND HAS A LOT OF TAX CREDITS IN THERE.

AND SO I THINK THE PRESIDENT, THE NEW PRESIDENT WANTS TO REPEAL THEM.

I THINK HE MAY HAVE SOME TROUBLE THOUGH BECAUSE NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, IS IS IT IN LAW RIGHT NOW, BUT A LOT OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED FOR CLEAN ENERGY ARE IN REPUBLICAN-HELD DISTRICTS.

JOHN: AND EVEN IF HE HAS BOTH, BOTH CHAMBERS, THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE MEMBERS WANTING TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES.

MATTHEW: RIGHT, INTERESTINGLY, A GROUP OF REPUBLICANS WROTE THE HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON, A LETTER SAYING, HEY, LEAVE THIS ALONE.

WE NEED THESE PROJECTS.

THERE’S A BIG SOLAR PLANT IN GEORGIA.

THERE’S BATTERY PLANT.

IN KENTUCKY, THERE’S ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THERE’S A LOT OF CLEAN MANUFACTURING JOBS, AND I THINK THAT THAT KIND OF FOR JOBS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO SUPPORT.

JOHN: EARLY ON IN THE CAMPAIGN, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS CAMPAIGNING IN MICHIGAN, PRESIDENT MR. TRUMP WOULD CRITICIZE THE MOVE TOWARD ELECTRIC VEHICLES AWAY FROM INTERNAL COMBUSTION, BUT NOW HE’S GOT ELON MUSK ON HIS SIDE, THE OWNER OF TESLA.

IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE THINGS, DO YOU THINK?

MATTHEW: WELL, ONE THING THAT UH YOU KNOW, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN KNOWN TO NOT SPEAK THE TRUTH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE HAS SAID REPEATEDLY IS THAT THERE’S AN EV MANDATE, WHICH BIDEN HAS PUT IN, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY THERE IS NO MANDATE.

WHAT’S HAPPENED IS THAT THE EPA HAS MUCH TIGHTER EMISSION STANDARDS TO TRY TO GET CARS TO POLLUTE LESS, BUT, AND TO DO THAT, YOU COULD BUY MORE EVS, BUT THERE IS NO MANDATE.

UH, BUT INTERESTINGLY, HIS RHETORIC ON EVS IS KIND OF SOFTENED SINCE ELON MUSK HAS BECOME SUCH A CLOSE FRIEND, AND HE SAYS, WELL, ELON SUPPORTS IT, SO MAYBE HE WON’T, HE SORT OF THINKS MAYBE HE WON’T BE AS CRITICAL OF IT AS HE HAS BEEN.

JOHN: UH, THE UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE TALKS GET STARTED ON MONDAY.

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, OF COURSE, SIGNED A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS, UH, DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM?

MATTHEW: WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE PARIS AGREEMENT, WHICH WAS IN 2015, IN THE FIRST TERM, PRESIDENT TRUMP REMOVED THE UNITED STATES FROM THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, WHICH IS A GLOBAL AGREEMENT ACROSS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE, UH, INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS, AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT BIDEN DID WHEN HE CAME IN FOUR YEARS AGO WAS TO PUT US BACK IN THAT AGREEMENT.

AND NOW WE’RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF U-TURNS.

I THINK THAT’S WHAT THE GLOBAL LEADERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHEN ONE ADMINISTRATION COMES IN, THEY DO ONE THING, THE NEXT ONE COMES IN AND REVERSES IT AND THEN, AND THEN YOU GET ANOTHER REVERSAL THERE’S A LOT OF SEA SONG BACK – – SEESAWING BACK AND FORTH AND GLOBAL CLIMATE AGREEMENTS ARE ONE OF THE PRIME EXAMPLES OF THAT.

WE’RE GOING TO BE REMOVING OURSELVES FROM THE PARIS AGREEMENT, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

JOHN: A LOT OF WHAT UH PRESIDENT TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP WANTS TO UNDO FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ARE REGULATIONS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

HOW EASY IS IT TO UNRAVEL THOSE?

MATTHEW: WELL, I THINK WE FOUND OUT THE FIRST TIME AROUND THAT IT’S NOT THAT EASY.

AND IN FACT, THERE IS SOME SOME FEAR AMONG ENVIRONMENTALISTS THAT MAYBE HE LEARNED FROM HIS FIRST TERM BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF REGULATIONS THAT HE TRIED TO UNDO THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS CHALLENGED IN COURT, AND, AND THEN THEY WON AND TRUMP LOST, AND THEY THINK NOW THAT MAY BE WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, FOUR HE MAY BE MORE ADEPT AT DOING THAT, BUT THE TRUTH IS, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, THESE REGULATIONS ARE HARD TO UNWIND, AND BIDEN FOUND THAT IN IN HIS CASE.

WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO UNDO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT TRUMP DID.

THERE’S JUST AN ADMINISTRATIVE, YOU’VE GOT PUBLIC HEARING, YOU’VE GOT PUBLIC NOTICE, YOU’VE GOT TIME.

EVERYTHING TAKES A WHILE, SORT OF IN THE GOVERNMENT THERE’S JUST NOTHING MOVES QUICKLY.

JOHN: AND WHAT’S THE, UH, WHAT’S THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DOING TO TRY TO LOCK IN WHAT THEY’VE DONE?

MATTHEW: WELL, ONE THING THAT THEY’RE DOING IS PARCELING OUT THESE GRANTS UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT.

THEY’VE BEEN DOING AND ALSO THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW WHICH WAS APPROVED IN 2021.

THEY’RE JUST EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, EVERY HOUR, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY’RE PUMPING OUT PRESS RELEASES AND GRANTS THEM TO THE POINT WHERE WE REALLY CAN’T COVER THEM ALL BECAUSE THERE’S SO MANY OF THEM.

AND THEN JUST THE OTHER DAY, PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS IN BALTIMORE TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER PROGRAM CALLED CLEAN PORTS, AND HE’S TRYING TO GIVE TONS OF MONEY TO PORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND I THINK THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THIS, BUT THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH THAT THEY CAN DO IN THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, 2 MONTHS TO GET IT OUT THE DOOR.

JOHN: SO HOW MUCH CAN THE INCOMING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REALLY UNDO AND GET RID OF THINGS THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE?

MATTHEW: WELL, A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS THEY CAN DO, AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S GOING TO BE A BIG CHALLENGE IN THE CLIMATE WORLD IS THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY IS PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE A LOT OF STAFF.

THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED UNDER THE FIRST TERM.

PEOPLE JUST DON’T BELIEVE IF IF THEY THINK THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T BELIEVE IN THE MISSION OF THE AGENCY, THEN THEY QUIT.

AND SO YOU GOT A BIG BRAIN DRAIN AND THEN THEY JUST ARE NOT REPLACED.

AND SO IF YOU DO NOT FUND PROGRAMS TO THEIR FULL CAPACITY, EVEN IF YOU DON’T, YOU KNOW, UNDO THEM FORMALLY, YOU JUST DON’T GIVE THEM ENOUGH MONEY, THEY KIND OF DIE ON THE VINE.

SO THERE’S WAYS THAT YOU CAN DO IT SORT OF UNDERNEATH THE, UH, UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE.

JOHN: WHAT’S THE EFFECT OF ON POLICY BUT ALSO ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF HAVING THIS WHIPSAW EFFECT PRESIDENT TRUMP UNDOING THINGS THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD DONE, MR. BIDEN UNDOING THINGS THAT TRUMP HAD DONE, AND NOW, NOW THAT REVERSED?

MATTHEW: YEAH, I THINK THAT IS KIND OF A PROBLEM.

I THINK WHAT THE ADVOCATES OF CLEAN ENERGY SAY IS THAT MEANWHILE THE WHOLE TIME WE’RE GETTING MORE SOLAR POWER, WE’RE GETTING MORE WIND POWER, AND INTERESTINGLY, BOTH SIDES SUPPORT NUCLEAR POWER, SO THERE’S SORT OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE KIND OF CHUGS ALONG, BUT ON THE MARGINS, THINGS CHANGE A LOT AND JUST THE EMPHASIS CHANGES, AND THEN BEYOND THAT, THE, YOU KNOW, THE SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO REDUCE OUR CARBON EMISSIONS BECAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.

ANYBODY WHO’S SEEN, YOU KNOW, THE FIRES, THE FLOODS, YOU NAME IT, IT JUST THE WRATH OF, OF THE MOTHER NATURE HAS BEEN COMING AT THE WORLD, AND I THINK YOU CAN’T REALLY IGNORE THAT.

JOHN: MATTHEW DALY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MATTHEW: GREAT.

THANK YOU.