Trump takes an axe to US climate policy, rolling back major rules that targeted pollution

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1. The Trump administration is [rolling back several major climate policies](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/climate/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit), including two rules that target planet-warming pollution from vehicles and power plants, in a major blow to America’s progress on climate action.

   The changes are expected to inject even more uncertainty into key industries, including manufacturing, which President Donald Trump has pledged to support through policy.

   The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it will undo rules that would have pushed the electricity and auto-making sectors toward cleaner forms of energy.

   Trump’s EPA is also preparing to reconsider and strike down a consequential scientific finding that has served as the basis of federal regulations to curb climate pollution. Dismissing the precedent would strip the EPA’s authority to manage the pollution that causes global warming.

2. Having a livable planet was fun while it lasted.

3. Simon Clark just released an excellent video showing how the civilized world is maintaining and improving its climate pollution goals. Considering the US seems to continually fall behind of other countries in this regard, it’s not too much of a worry overall, as it produces only 1/8th of the world’s total emissions.

   It’s not all doom and gloom! Other countries have excellent international trade partnerships, goals, and agreements that will save their populations while America continues to fall behind.

4. Boo!!

5. Today, EPA Administrator Zeldin announced the following actions:

   **UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY**

   Reconsideration of regulations on power plants (Clean Power Plan 2.0)

   Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry (OOOO b/c)

   Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that improperly targeted coal-fired power plants (MATS)

   Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program)

   Reconsideration of limitations, guidelines and standards (ELG) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry to ensure low-cost electricity while protecting water resources (Steam Electric ELG)

   Reconsideration of wastewater regulations for coal power plants to help unleash American energy (Oil and Gas ELG)

   Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule)

   **LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES**

   Reconsideration of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate (Car GHG Rules)

   Reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and regulations and actions that rely on that Finding (Endangerment Finding)

   Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule)

   Reconsideration of Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards that shut down opportunities for American manufacturing and small businesses (PM 2.5 NAAQS)

   Reconsideration of multiple National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors (NESHAPs)

   Restructuring the Regional Haze Program that threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families (Regional Haze)

   Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s “Social Cost of Carbon”

   Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers (Enforcement Discretion)

   Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI)

   **ADVANCING COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM**

   Ending so-called “Good Neighbor Plan” which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus and led to the rejection of nearly all State Implementation Plans

   Working with states and tribes to resolve massive backlog with State Implementation Plans and Tribal Implementation Plans that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve (SIPs/TIPs)

   Reconsideration of exceptional events rulemaking to work with states to prioritize the allowance of prescribed fires within State and Tribal Implementation Plans (Exceptional Events)

   Reconstituting Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (SAB/CASAC)

   Prioritizing coal ash program to expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations (CCR Rule)

   Utilizing enforcement discretion to further North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene

6. Elon and trump should go into the next starshit launch and get out of earth

7. This makes it seem like the usa had effective future looking climate policy in the first case. The BAU situation was effectively a societal death sentence anyways. Is it worse now? Probably. But once you’re already in “human civilization won’t survive another 20-30 years” territory already what is the actual concern?

8. Consumers can vote with their dollars. Spend your money on companies that value environmental stewardship.

9. So we are great now?

10. I remember some Kamala door knockers asked me what my biggest voting issue was,

    when I said climate change, they said “oh we haven’t got that one yet”

    And that is the day I completely lost most hope for our battle against climate change, because how will the politicians give af if most normal people don’t even give af

11. It’s just straight up murder. With the stroke of a pen he has killed thousands of people.

12. He not only wants to destroy this country,
    but all of humanity as well.

13. What else is new, can’t wait until he goes down in history as the worst thing that ever happened to the country and planet.

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