Environmental-Destruction

EPA Administrator Zeldin Plans 65% Workforce Cut While Terminating $20 Billion Climate Grants

| Importance: 8/10

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to cut EPA workforce by approximately 23% and reduce the agency’s budget by 65%, representing the most aggressive environmental deregulation in agency history. The cuts would return EPA staffing to Reagan-era levels, eliminating scientific research …

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Trump Environmental Rollbacks Cause 80,000 Excess Deaths Per Decade

| Importance: 8/10

Harvard researchers calculated that Trump’s environmental rollbacks would cause 80,000 excess deaths per decade from increased air pollution, with 18,000 deaths from repealing the Clean Power Plan alone. The administration reversed or weakened over 100 environmental regulations, including …

Donald Trump EPA Scott Pruitt Andrew Wheeler David Bernhardt +1 more environmental-destruction public-health climate-change mass-death regulatory-capture
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EPA Finalizes Affordable Clean Energy Rule Replacing Clean Power Plan With Weaker Standards

| Importance: 9/10

On June 19, 2019, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, replacing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with regulations designed to extend the lifetimes of heavily polluting coal-fired power plants. The ACE Rule established no meaningful limits on carbon pollution …

Andrew Wheeler Environmental Protection Agency Donald Trump Coal Industry Scott Pruitt climate-denial epa regulatory-capture environmental-destruction coal-industry +1 more
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David Bernhardt Confirmed as Interior Secretary Despite 27 Conflicts of Interest

| Importance: 9/10

Senate confirmed David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary despite him having the most conflicts of interest of any Trump Cabinet nominee - 27 former clients and employers actively lobbying the Interior Department. A former oil and gas lobbyist, Bernhardt had so many potential conflicts he literally …

David Bernhardt Donald Trump Department of Interior Halliburton Westlands Water District regulatory-capture conflict-of-interest oil-and-gas interior-department revolving-door +2 more
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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Resigns Facing 18 Federal Investigations

| Importance: 8/10

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned while under at least 18 federal investigations for corruption, conflicts of interest, and ethics violations. Scandals included: involvement in a Montana land deal benefiting himself and Halliburton chairman, using wildfire funds for personal travel, chartered …

Ryan Zinke Donald Trump Department of Interior David Bernhardt corruption interior-department public-lands ethics-violation cabinet-scandal +2 more
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EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns Amid 14 Federal Investigations

| Importance: 9/10

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned facing at least 14 federal investigations into corruption, ethics violations, and misuse of taxpayer funds. Scandals included: spending $43,000 on a soundproof phone booth, first-class travel costing over $100,000, using staff for personal errands like finding …

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Trump Withdraws from Paris Climate Agreement Isolating America

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, making America the only nation to reject the accord after Syria and Nicaragua joined. Trump falsely claimed the agreement would cost America $3 trillion and 6.5 million jobs while allowing China and India to increase …

Donald Trump Paris Agreement Fossil Fuel Industry United States Scott Pruitt climate-change paris-agreement environmental-destruction international-isolation fossil-fuels
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Ryan Zinke Opens Public Lands to Extraction While Profiting

| Importance: 8/10

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who rode a horse to his first day while claiming to be like Teddy Roosevelt, opened 10 million acres of public lands to oil and gas drilling while his wife ran a consulting firm doing business with those seeking Interior Department approval. Zinke shrunk Bears Ears …

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Scott Pruitt Dismantles EPA While Taking Industry Money

| Importance: 8/10

Scott Pruitt, who sued the EPA 14 times as Oklahoma Attorney General while taking 00,000+ from fossil fuel companies, became EPA Administrator and immediately began dismantling environmental protections. He installed a 3,000 soundproof phone booth, took 30+ first-class flights costing taxpayers …

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