With battle ships paused to attack Iran, the Supreme Court declaring The Don’s tariffs illegal, the U.S. preventing oil from entering Cuba, the Epstein saga and ICE continuing it’s mass deportation effort, the dismantling of environmental regulations has been under the radar.
The recent killing of the “endangerment finding,” the scientific determination that required the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases because of the threat to human health is frightening and deranged. The “finding” provided the foundation to justify federal regulations that limit carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollution- including from cars.
Despite massive evidence that greenhouse emissions are the main driver of global climate change, which in turn is intensifying heat waves, drought, hurricanes, and floods; The Don and his cronies still think it is all a hoax.
Now, the United States will essentially have no laws on the books that enforce how efficient America’s passenger cars and trucks should be.
The Republicans have been planning for this moment, working behind the scenes for years, ready to pounce, when they had the chance. The climate deniers, led by the Denialist-in-Chief, are immoral. Despite irrefutable evidence, some insist that it is a hoax. But the majority know climate change is real, and say nothing because it is politically advantageous (big donor contributions for their campaigns) or because they have personal financial gain at stake.
Climate change denialism only makes sense because of one thing: greed. Fuck the future. Fuck the grandchildren. Just give me the money.
The Don’s administration has made a concerted effort to remove anything related to Climate Change from government websites including: the Department of Defense (DOD), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State Department, and the White House. It has blocked billions of dollars of grants to non-profits engaged in work related to climate change, including any project related to solar and wind power development. While other countries work to reduce the use of oil and replace them with environmentally friendly technology, the U.S. is going backwards. American exceptionalism at its best.
This an existential crisis that has and will continue to wreak devastation on our lives. Oh, well.
The Don also issued an executive order aimed at spurring the domestic production of glyphosate, a widely used weedkiller that has figured in health lawsuits.
In issuing his order, The Don invoked the Defense Production Act, a Korean-war era law that allows the government to compel the manufacture of supplies that are critical for national defense. The Don claimed that “lack of access to glyphosate-based herbicides would critically jeopardize agricultural productivity”, adding pressure to the domestic food system. It’s another example of The Don making up emergencies to justify his overreach. There simply is no food crisis in the U.S. In fact, data shows that we waste 30 to 40% of our food. How many countries with food insecurity could we feed with this?
And guess what? Kyle Kunker, who once was a lobbyist for the soybean industry and fought for pesticide use, is now in charge of pesticide policy at the Environmental Protection Agency! Another episode of the “Fox in the Henhouse” brought to you by the Don’s production company.
The agricultural sector is celebrating. Screw cancer, just show us the money. This comes right after Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company announced that it had reached a tentative agreement that would pay plaintiffs $7.25 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits that claimed Roundup (made from glyphosate) caused cancer. Despite paying out this vast sum the company maintains that the weedkiller is safe and an essential tool for farmers. Rumor has it that when asked why they would pay out 7.2 billion dollars if the product was safe, a spokesperson said: We were making so much money we thought we would spread the wealth, not to mention that food just taste better with Roundup in it.
Also Included in the Defense Production Act is a provision that provides a pathway for companies to be shielded from certain liability suits. Now you can use products that cause cancer and be free from liability. I bet the tobacco industry is seething with envy.
According to historian Douglas Brinkley, “there’s never been a president with zero interest in protecting the natural world until Donald Trump.”
Even Teddy Roosevelt’s family has joined in the condemnation of The Don’s administration for allowing drilling in protected lands. Ted Roosevelt IV stated that his great-grandfather would have been “appalled” by an effort by House Republicans to allow mining near an expanse of wilderness in Minnesota. When Roosevelt was president he preserved 230 million acres of public lands, founded the National Forest Service. and helped create multiple national parks. Roosevelt IV sent a letter to Republican Senators urging them not to support it. Here is an excerpt from the letter: “We ask you to work with President Trump to seek ways to permanently protect the Boundary Waters, and to send a unified message that America is still a land that relentlessly protects its greatest wilderness terrain.” The jury is still out, but if the Republican Senators decide to block it I’ll eat my hat.
To add to this deranged dismantling, the administration has rolled out a mascot named “Coalie.”
Rumor has it that Smokey the Bear was fired and been replaced by Coalie. A White House spokesperson had this to say about the changing of the guard: Smokey was a wuss. We don’t want wusses representing that. Bringing on Coalie is a game changer. He represents what makes America great.
The Grand Offal Party 