Trump & Co. are evil. But also incompetent. Beyond incompetent. Their actions commonly backfire to an astounding degree. Let's have a look at their environmental record, and what a disaster it has been for them. That includes losses in court, public pushback, and the impact on the 2020 elections.
I have embedded this old but highly appropriate tweet three times, and three times it has folded itself up into invisibility. Well, we'll see what happens when this is published.
Two More Days
@dphishin
omg @JulianEpstein just described Trump, on foreign policy, as "a cross between a bond villain and Mr. Magoo"
#msnbc #thepoint
25 likes 6:19 PM — Apr 23, 2017
Do you like the exemplars I found?
I say
The same is true on immigration, the environment, education, the economy…
Now, before we dive all the way in, I warn you that there is a lot of it, both bad and good, with vast numbers of links. Hang in there.
tl;dr Trump has tried everything he can think of to destroy us all by making Global Warming even worse, but the courts and public pressure and occasionally even Congress have mostly foiled him. The harder he tries, on this and other issues, the stronger the Resistance gets. Several Democratic primary candidates are polling well ahead of him, by increasing margins. There is some evidence that he is harming the chances of Republican Senate candidates.
We can do this.
The Bad
You need to understand that for Trumpistas, Draining the Swamp does not mean getting rid of corruption in Washington. It is a Dog Whistle for several things.
- The standard Republican program known as Starve the Beast, meaning cut taxes on the rich in order to force cuts to all social programs that help any of Those People.
- Lock! Them! Up!
- Take arms agin Federal gummint tyranny!
- Throw out elitist, anti-Jeebus signtists and schoolteachers.
- Human Rights come only from God, so abortion and gay marriage are Human Wrongs.
- You will not replace us!
Let me see…corporate greed, racism, White Male Privilege, misogyny, injustice, science denial, homophobia, nativism, Islamophobia, all-around bigotry,…Yes, that about covers it.
The "Everything Terrible Trump Has Done So Far" Omnibus (Week 126)
My thanks to smalch for all of this heavy lifting.
1443. Fully replaced the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan with a watered energy policy that is estimated to cause 1.400 premature deaths.
And before that,
The “Everything Terrible The Trump Administration Has Done So Far” Omnibus
11. Issued executive order pushing forward the Keystone/Dakota Access Pipeline. Before the end of the year, the Keystone pipeline had spilled of 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota.
12. Froze new grants and contracts at the EPA.
13. Gagged press releases and other releases of material to the public from the EPA, USDA, Department of Interior and other agencies.
50. Repealed the Extraction Payment Disclosure rule, which requires oil, gas, mining, and other extraction companies to disclose their payments to foreign governments.
51. Repealed the Stream Protection Rule, which prevents coal companies from dumping their waste products into rivers and other effluence.
55. Wiped pages on Civil Rights, Climate Change, and LGBT Rights from the White House website after taking office.
62. Delayed listing bumblebees as endangered.
86. Nixed $674 million in spending to electrify California’s rail system, effectively killing hopes for a high speed rail in the state.
100. In stark contrast to the Obama Administration, burned the standing rock protest camp to the ground and evicted protesters.
103. Gave away millions in royalties on coal extracted on public lands to coal companies.
115. Signed an executive order to dismantle the Clean Water Rule.
134. Dropped Climate Change as a factor in government decision making
138. EPA Director, Scott Pruit, started using the EPA as essentially his own PR firm.
141. Moved to undo Obama era emissions standards.
166. Issued executive order rolling back the Clean Power Plan and other environmental regulations.
201. Asked a federal appeals court to delay arguments over a rule that prevents coal-fired power plants from releasing toxic chemicals, including mercury, lead, arsenic and other pollutants, into the environment.
202. Preempted the implementation of a rule that would prevent coal plants from emitting mercury and polluting streams.
213. Scrubbed all references to Obama era climate plans from EPA website.
226. Removed scientists from the EPA’s science review board and replaced them with members from agencies the board is meant to police, undermining both the quality of research and regulations.
247. Put efforts to measure carbon emissions of cars and trucks on indefinite hold.
265. Withdrew from the Paris accord on climate change.
275. Issued horrendously inaccurate job statistics on the coal industry.
281. Abstained from the G7 climate change pledge.
285. Moved to undermine the EPA’s permitting rules.
297. Has generally packed his administration with people with extensive ties to corporate America at a rate of 70%.
301. Continued to purge government scientists by telling dozens of EPA scientists their advisory positions will not be renewed.
321. Initiated an expansive new 5 year plan to increase offshore drilling.
338. Began approving arctic drilling.
350. Has been pushing out scientists from the EPA in retaliation for work on climate change
366. Began the process of repealing Obama era fuel economy standards.
367. Began the process of repealing Obama era fracking restrictions.
394. Watered down toxic chemical rules.
396. Moved to undermine emissions standard rules for cars and light trucks, as well as heavy duty trucks.
397. Disbanded the federal advisory panel for National Climate Assessment.
398. Halted research on the public health impact of mountaintop removal coal mining.
403. Released his plan for public research priorities, indicating a withdrawal of government support for research in numerous fields such as climate change.
410. Refused to turn over documents in an investigation into Scott Pruitt’s conflicts of interest.
422. Degraded the regulatory system by implementing an unworkable blanket straight jacket on the regulatory costs of Federal Agencies.
424. Halted pollution controls at Utah coal plants.
431. Moved to lift ban on oil assessments in wildlife refuges.
453. Refused to acknowledge the role of climate change in forest fires, and instead tried to blame “radical environmentalists”.
462. Moved to end rule mitigating methane emissions.
466. Decided to terminate the clean power plan, which was designed to reduce carbon emissions to 32% below 2005 levels by 2030.
EPA rolls back Obama-era plan limiting coal-fired power plant emissions
The Obama Clean Power Plan was set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to the climate crisis, by up to 32% compared to 2005 levels by the same year.
The move fulfills part of President Donald Trump's promise to help the coal industry, but will likely face court challenges from environmental groups and several states who see the rollback as detrimental to clean air and efforts to fight the climate crisis.
Former President Barack Obama's plan, if implemented, would have prevented 3,600 premature deaths a year, 1,700 heart attacks and 90,000 asthma attacks, according to analysis conducted by the EPA under his tenure.
Ah, but then a number of states did go to court, and blocked it.
490. Barred three climate science from giving talks on climate change.
492. Moved to auction off vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico to oil companies.
499. The Bureau of Land Management rescinded a rule requiring officials the consider climate change impact of energy projects, following up from #134.
500. Opened up to 10 million acres of Alaskan wilderness to oil and gas drilling
501. It was revealed that Trump’s Interior Secretary had personal connections to the contractor Whitefish, which had recently been the subject of a scandal when it was awarded a contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electrical grid despite having no experience in the work, strongly implying some involvement of the Administration in facilitating the corrupt deal.
506. Enacted a rule barring scientists who receive EPA funding from serving on advisory committees, removing several climate scientists from their positions and replacing them with industry-backed researchers in their place.
516. After it was revealed that Commerce Secretary had numerous shady dealings in Russia in the Paradise Papers, it was later revealed that he not only continues to hold a considerable stake in shipping Russian oil, he has been actively expanded that stake since taking office.
541. Moved ahead with approving arctic oil exploration.
560. Failed to enforce smog rules, garnering a lawsuit from 14 states.
561. It was reported that the Administration has slowed actions against polluters and put limits on enforcement officers at the EPA.
562. Delayed and effectively preempted regulations aimed at controlling methane leaks.
566. The Bureau of Land Management rescinded a rule requiring officials the consider climate change impact of energy projects, following up from #134.
590. Moved to weaken offshore safety rules implemented after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
603. It was reported the administration has been engaging in a systemic campaign to censor information on climate change on government websites.
623. Slapped a 30% tariff on imported solar panels, hurting solar panel installers and threatening to set off a trade war with China.
632. Reversed a decades old policy under the Clean Air Act aimed at maintaining stricter pollution emissions standards on large scale producers.
647. Moved to roll back environmental reviews of public land use.
677. A report revealed that the administration has hired a staggering number of lawyers hailing from industries they are expected to regulate.
688. Delayed implementation of methane emissions rule for two years.
696. Broke federal laws by failing to identify all the parts of the US that fail to air quality standards for smog.
706.Tried to sell 77 million acres of the gulf of Mexico for off shore drilling.
718. Scott Pruitt’s EPA issued talking points to its employees for downplaying climate change
722. Axed Obama era fuel efficiency standards and moved to end a waiver that would allow California to set its own standards.
729. The White House is considering a proposal that could strip protections from hundreds of threatened species, to the benefit of oil and agriculture companies.
733. Scrubbed all reference to man made climate change in a report on rising sea levels.
753. Following up from #500, began the scoping process to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve to drilling.
768. Sued by 17 states over his decision to invalidate emissions standards through 2025.
784. Cancelled NASA research verifying greenhouse gas cuts.
802. Kicked CNN and AP out of EPA summit.
816. Pushed the EPA to collaborate with climate change deniers.
830. Altered the way the EPA calculates costs and benefits to downplay the public benefits of environmental regulations.
849. Rolled back Obama era Ocean protection rules.
871. Created a loophole for “super polluting” trucks.
886. Moved to block a climate change lawsuit filed by children.
923. Moved to open 1.6 million acres to fracking, drilling in California.
940. Declared conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative for the US, undermining decades of efforts to promote fuel efficiency and conservation.
941. Moved to roll back restrictions on coal fired power plants
956. The Republican Congress systematically failed to investigate 52 separate instances of misconduct by the Trump administration.
970. Named a Climate Change denier William Happer as his adviser on emerging technologies.
979. Cut nearly 1,600 EPA staff in his first 18 months in office.
982. Eased limits on methane pollution.
997. Sued by New Mexico and California for their attempt to roll back Obama era methane rules in #982.
Pant, pant, pant…I promise this list will come to an end, for now.
1002. Said the government should “work for” the oil and gas industry.
1011. Presumed a worst case scenario on climate change and used to it to justify undermining environmental regulations under the presumption that the outcome was already unavoidable.
1012. Completed its rollback of safety regulations put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
1015. Eased mercury emissions rules.
1026. Trump’s EPA chief, Andrew Wheeler, was caught posting conspiratorial and racist content on social media, including during his tenure at the EPA.
1038. Moved to use military bases to export coal as a means to circumvent local officials who rejected private efforts to build coal ports.
1063. Approved offshore arctic drilling in Alaska.
1072. Used scripts provided by oil and gas companies in their rollback of drilling restrictions.
1117. Wrongly blamed “radical environmentalists” for California wildfires.
1122. Buried a report on the devastating and accelerating impacts of climate change.
1138. Called for an end to subsidies for renewables and electric cars.
1141. Refused to sign the G20 statement until they inserted language restating their decision to abandon the Paris Climate Accord.
1146. Moved to end requirement that new coal plants use carbon capture technology despite disastrous climate impact.
1205. Drove a sharp increase in carbon emissions with its rollback of environmental regulations.
1225. Closed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate data page.
1233. The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report outlining 80 distinct attacks made by the Trump administration on scientific research.
1252. Sold wildlife corridors to oil and gas companies.
1259. Ended talks with California over fuel efficiency standards.
1267. Created a new panel to ignore climate science and attempt to change the Federal Government’s position on climate change.
1294. Opened millions of acres to drilling.
1313. Said wind power doesn’t work because “wind only blows sometimes”.
1324. Claimed windmills caused cancer.
1339. Stripped federal protections from millions of miles of rivers.
1344. A court ruled that the administration’s repeal of the coal, oil valuation rule was “arbitrary and capricious”.
1358. Moved to relocate two federal research agencies despite worries that it would prompt mass resignations.
Employees turn their back on Agriculture secretary [Sonny Perdue] over being relocated to Kansas City
Newly unionized employees of the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture protest the relocation of their agencies as Secretary Sonny Perdue spoke on Thursday.
1376. The administration tried to remove references to climate change from an international statement on Arctic policy.
1389. Canceled nearly $1bn in high speed rail funding for California.
1397. Attempted to hide the fact that its Coal Plan would kill thousands.
1405. Ordered federal agency to stop estimating the long term impact of climate change.
1409. Had the Department of Energy label fossil fuels as “molecules of freedom”.
1423. Dismissed the existential threat of climate change by saying it “goes both ways”.
Whew! I try to keep up, but there is a lot there I didn't know about.
Oh, and petty. We must remember how petty Trump's thinking is.
OK, yes, that's all damaging, but so far nothing like as damaging as W's NeoCon wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nothing that Trump has done has significantly slowed the world's moves to renewable energy and EVs. Nothing that Trump has done will kill anything like as many people as continue to die in our stupid wars, or from simple poverty that Republicans won't let us address.
Good News
There are many kinds of Good News to report here. All of them consist in pushback and resistance to the Trump and other Republican Denialist evils laid out above. We are winning in the courts and in public opinion. Even some Republicans have had to admit that Global Warming is real and dangerous. Some are ready to throw coal under the electric bus, as is the American Petroleum Institute.
EarthJustice: 2 Years of Overruling Trump
The record shows that Trump’s efforts to weaken environmental regulations are no match for the law.
Executive Summary
The untold story of President Donald Trump’s environmental agenda is that he’s losing.
While the Trump administration continues to spit out dangerous environmental rollbacks at a record clip and its efforts remain a dire threat to our environment, the administration is overwhelmingly failing when its proposed rollbacks come in contact with the rule of law.
No organization during Trump’s presidency has filed more lawsuits to protect the environment from deregulatory actions than Earthjustice.
OK, I'm not going to list all their 120 cases. This Diary is too long already. Suffice it to say that they have won 16 of them, and Trump only 1. In this case, I don't have to pick out bits. The report is almost all Good News. But here are a few other tidbits.
Trump administration cannot weaken Obama-era safety rule for miners, court says
Renewables are winning the economics battle against new coal and gas, stunning study shows
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) reported on Tuesday that renewables are now the cheapest form of new electricity generation across two thirds of the world — cheaper than both new coal and new natural gas power.
Yet just five years ago, renewables were the cheapest source of new power in only 1% of the world, explains BNEF in its New Energy Outlook 2019.
Equally remarkable, BNEF projects that by 2030, wind and solar will “undercut existing coal and gas almost everywhere.”
The United States still spends 10 times as much on fossil fuel subsidies as they do on education
Wait, how is that Good News?
Well, firstly, all of the numbers in this Diary are wrong. It counts fossil fuel externalities, including deaths from pollution, as subsidies, claiming that they amount to trillions of dollars. The normal economic definition counts only direct government expenditures, which come to some hundreds of billions worldwide, mostly in China.
Nevertheless the point stands—Socialism for the rich. And for you, it's jam every other day.
Jam yesterday, and jam tomorrow, but never jam today.
The Red Queen, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll
The real Good News is that the nations of the world have agreed to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. But who knows whether that will happen? Not Trump, anyway, and we will be well rid of him long before then.