The New York Times details sweeping de-regulation planned at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a short video posted to social media, administrator Lee Zeldin described EPA’s mission as lowering the costs of buying cars, heating homes and running businesses. “Nowhere in the video did he refer to protecting the environment or public health, twin tenets that have guided the agency since its founding in 1970.”
In addition to rolling back checks on air and water pollution, Zeldin has proposed eliminating the “good neighbor rule,” which holds states accountable when pollution crosses their borders, and de-prioritizing environmental protections for poor and minority communities. “In perhaps its most consequential act, the agency said it would work to erase the E.P.A.’s legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by reconsidering decades of science that show global warming is endangering humanity.” Nearly all Zeldin’s proposals will be subject to an extensive public comment and review process.