Climate One Tracking Trump’s Attack on Environmental Protections
May 9, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Sam Wojcicki, a climate policy expert at the National Audubon Society, Jared Huffman, a U.S. Representative advocating for environmental protection, and Olivia N. Guarna, a Climate Justice Fellow, explore the alarming rollback of key federal environmental regulations under the Trump administration. They highlight the implications of changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, the threats to climate justice, and the urgent need for united action against these policies. The conversation blends legislative insights with the call for community engagement to protect our environment.
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NEPA Ensures Community Voices
- NEPA was created to ensure transparency and provide communities a say in federal decisions impacting them.
- It prevents agencies from making decisions that harm communities without public awareness or dialogue.
NEPA Rulemaking Fragmentation Risks
- The Trump administration wants each of 85 federal agencies to create their own NEPA rules.
- This will cause uncertainty, slow permitting, increase litigation, and raise compliance costs.
Cumulative Impact Analysis Is Crucial
- Dropping the requirement to analyze cumulative impacts ignores combined effects of multiple projects.
- This undermines responsible stewardship and the law's original intent to prevent environmental disasters.