Emission Accomplished

At one point last year, President Trump staged a photo op in which he stacked up the volumes of regulations his administration had rescinded to that point. What has been lacking in the elimination of regulations are explanations of why the regulations are bad for the country. Trump's formula of eliminating two regulations for every new one created has no rational basis.

Focusing exclusively on Scott Pruitt's systemic attack on environmental protections shows how destructive just that one part of what Steve Bannon has called the Trump administration's assault on the administrative state has been.

Greenhouse Gas Limits: Declaring "the war on coal is over," Pruitt announced the EPA would repeal President Barack's Clean Power Plan, which would have placed limits on carbon pollution from power plants -- a major cause of global warming.

Clean Water Protections: Pruitt plans on rescinding the Waters of the United States rule, which gives the agency wider latitude to regulate pollution.

Oil and Gas Drilling: After "hearing from industry," Pruitt canceled the EPA's 2016 directive that energy companies provide information on methane emissions from their drilling operations.

Hazardous Air: The EPA withdrew a 1995 policy that imposed limits on nearly 200 pollutants, including arsenic, lead, and mercury, from major industrial polluters.

Hazardous Chemicals: Pruitt has delayed an Obama-era rule requiring plants to release inventories of chemicals on hand -- key information for first responders in the event of an accident.

Fuel Efficiency Standards: The EPA is reviewing tougher fuel standards established under Obama -- standards that Pruitt calls "costly for automakers and the American people."

Smog: The Obama administration strengthened limits on ozone pollution, which causes smog. Pruitt has yet to enforce the rule.

Toxic Power Plant Pollution: The EPA is rethinking limits on chemicals like arsenic, lead, and mercury that power plants dump into waterways. The agency could revise a rule restricting mercury and other toxic pollutants in the air.

Climate Denial: Pruitt says he doesn't think humans are a "primary contributor" to global warming, and he has proposed a series of "debates" designed to challenge mainstream climate science.

Dangerous Pesticides: The EPA plans to revise an Obama-era rule that prevents farmworkers younger than 18 from applying pesticides. Pruitt has also refused to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that can damage the  nervous system -- despite agency scientists saying a ban was warranted.

Coal Ash: Under Obama, the EPA set national standards for the disposal of toxic coal residue. Pruitt has granted an industry request to reconsider the rule.

Global Climate Accords: After a bitter debate among top advisers, President Donald Trump sided with Pruitt and Steve Bannon, announcing he would withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

Abandoning Enforcement: Pruitt has slashed the number of civil cases filed against polluters, according to the New York Times. Officers who once investigated environmental crimes are now manning Pruitt's security detail, the Washington Post reports.

Politicizing the Grant Process: Pruitt assigned a former Trump campaign aide to review all EPA grants, according to the Post. The aide, John Konkus, directed staffers to remove climate change from grant solicitations.

Stacking the Agency With Industry Allies: In a move critics called "scientific censorship," Pruitt announced that scientists who receive EPA grants can no longer serve on the agency's advisory boards. Seven board members immediately resigned and were replaced with industry-friendly scientists.

Slashing Staff and Hiring Cronies: Under Pruitt, the number of EPA staffers has fallen by more than 800.  According to ProPublica and the Times, that loss includes 200 scientists, most of whom haven't been replaced. Meanwhile, Pruitt has hired longtime friends and acquaintances. (Source: Amy Thomson and Rebecca Leber, "Emission Accomplished," Mother Jones, March/April 2018).