For environmental justice advocates who have spent decades fighting to protect communities from polluters, the new year cannot come too soon. After four years of the Trump administration shredding the Environmental Protection Agency into “little tidbits,” as President Donald Trump put it during his first campaign, change is in the air.
President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to make the climate crisis and environmental justice guiding principles of his administration from day one, Jan. 20. It’s a huge promise—and a tall order.
Even as the Trump administration winds down, it is working to scale back dozens of environmental protections. In recent weeks, it has pushed to remove penalties for power plants that leak contaminants into waterways, roll back oversight of mine safety and sell oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge.The efforts cap four years of gutting or cutting more than 100 laws and policies.
Read more at Inside Climate News.