KQED's Forum How President Trump Aims to Dismantle Environmental Protections
Apr 16, 2025
Ethan Elkind, a climate law expert from UC Berkeley, delves into Trump’s executive orders threatening California's environmental policies. Abigail Dillen of Earthjustice discusses legal battles against these rollbacks. Lisa Friedman from The New York Times sheds light on the repercussions of these actions, particularly on federal agencies and research funding. Sonia Aggarwal, former Biden climate advisor, highlights the economic implications for clean energy and electric vehicles. Together, they explore the balance of power between state and federal authorities in combating climate change.
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Broad Attack on State Climate Policies
- Trump's executive order targets state climate policies broadly and vaguely, asking the Justice Department to intervene against them.
- This includes cap and trade, automobile emission efforts, and laws holding fossil fuel companies financially responsible.
California's Cap and Trade Success
- California's cap and trade program is a successful model that puts an economy-wide cap on emissions and allows trading of emission credits.
- Resistance from the oil industry and White House allies targets this program as it impacts fossil fuel profitability.
Legal Limits to Federal Overreach
- The Trump administration lacks statutory authority to undermine state environmental programs like cap and trade.
- Radical legal theories may be attempted but are unlikely to succeed even before a conservative Supreme Court.