UPDATE: In the midst of a global pandemic, the Trump administration has taken the final steps to roll-back Obama-era rules that clean up our air and lower the carbon pollution from cars and trucks – often hailed as the federal government’s most important effort to tackle the climate crisis.
“Rolling back critical public health protections in the midst of a pandemic is appalling,” said Emily Green, Senior Attorney at CLF. “The clean car standards are designed to protect our health while saving drivers money at the gas pump. This administration’s rejection of science and accountability knows no bounds, and we’ll continue to challenge this reckless rule change.”
“By erasing protections for the majority of our Nation’s wetlands and more than 18% of streams, this rule green-lights the dumping of pesticides and toxic chemicals into our waters,” said Heather Govern, Director of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “Large corporate interests bought and paid for this rollback, which will harm our communities and public health for decades to come.”
“Stormwater pollution continues to wreak havoc on Massachusetts waters,” said Heather Govern, Director of CLF’s Clean Air and Water program. “Cities and towns are responsible for reducing this pollution and many have shirked these duties for years. This new permit forces them to prioritize protecting our waters, but CLF is prepared to take legal action if these flagrant violations continue.”
“It’s imperative that we end childhood lead poisoning in our lifetime,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that families will be protected by this proposed change. We need a health-based standard that recognizes the only safe level of lead for kids is zero. That – and removing lead pipes from our water infrastructure – must be the only goal for regulators.”
“Once again, Trump’s EPA has kowtowed to big oil and gas at the expense of the health of millions of Americans,” said Emily Green, CLF Staff Attorney. “At a time when we have yet again experienced the Earth’s hottest month on record, the devastating impacts of climate chaos are impossible to ignore. Slashing the nation’s strongest policy for reducing carbon pollution is simply irresponsible and backward.”
“The Trump administration is determined to destroy our planet in an effort to prop up faltering oil and gas giants,” said Greg Cunningham, VP and Director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program. “Methane is over 80 times more damaging to our climate than carbon dioxide, and any increase in this dangerous gas only brings us closer to climate catastrophe. These senseless rollbacks are nothing but a giveaway to the dying fossil fuel industry and they will put countless lives at risk.”
“ACE should stand for appalling and corrupt,” said CLF attorney James Crowley. “By the EPA’s own estimates, the new rule will result in the deaths of thousands of Americans. The Trump administration’s pathetic rule is nothing more than a lifeline for dying coal plants, and we will continue to fight it.”
“By rolling back even modest efforts to curb climate-damaging pollution from the power sector, the EPA has signed the death certificates of thousands of Americans,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Dirty coal and fracked gas spew toxic pollution into our communities and bring the looming climate crisis even closer to reality. Yet again, this administration has sacrificed public health and safety at the altar of the fossil fuel industry.”
The next time it rains, take a close look at puddles in a parking lot. You’ll likely see an unsettling rainbow shimmer of oil. That oil doesn’t stay put in those puddles. Instead, the rain pushes it over the asphalt and into the nearest body of water, gathering other pollutants as it goes. The Charles… Continue reading Polluted Runoff Threatens Charles River
