US EPA Activity in Pandemic Times

October 27, 2020 | EPA Cancels LGBTQ Pride and Diversity Trainings

• EPA Cancels LGBTQ Pride And Resilience Event Due To Trump Crackdown (Huff Post)

October 22 2020 | EPA eases the permitting process for modifications made to polluting facilities

• EPA eases permitting for modifications to polluting facilities (The Hill)

October 15, 2020 | EPA allows use of radioactive material in some road construction (The Hill)

September 23 2020 | E.P.A. Rejects Its Own Findings That a Pesticide Harms Children’s Brains (NY Times)

August 31, 2020 | EPA Relaxes Limits on Toxic Waste from Coal Power Plants

• E.P.A. Relaxes Rules Limiting Toxic Waste From Coal Plants (NY Times)

August 13, 2020 | EPA rollback on oil and gas methane emissions standards

• Trump Eliminates Major Methane Rule, Even as Leaks Are Worsening (NY Times)

July 30, 2020 | EPA CANCELS E&E NEWS SUBSCRIPTION

• EPA cancels subscription to news outlet dedicated to covering it (The Hill)

June 1, 2020 | E.P.A. CHANGES THE RULES ON HOW TO APPLY THE CLEAN WATER ACT

• E.P.A. Limits States’ Power to Oppose Pipelines and Other Energy Projects (NY Times)

April 16, 2020 | MERCURY CONTROLS WEAKENED

• The E.P.A. Is Weakening Controls on Mercury. Other Rules Will Fall, Too (NY Times)

April 2, 2020 | COAL ASH DISPOSAL RULE MOVING FORWARD

• Proposed Rule for Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals from Electric Utilities; Federal CCR Permit Program (Press Release)
• Sierra Club Petition
• EPA Virtual Public Hearing on the Proposal: Federal CCR Permit Program (April 15, 2020)
• EPA Ceases Rules on How Coal Ash Waste is Stored in US (Washington Post)

March 27, 2020 | AIR QUALITY AND AUTO EMISSION ROLLBACKS

US EPA announces changes to how gasoline will be mixed in the face of potential shortages, which will likely result in more air pollution nationally.

• Press Release: EPA Announces Steps to Protect the Availability of Gasoline during COVID-19 Pandemic
• Trump Administration, in Biggest Environmental Rollback, to Announce Auto Pollution Rules (NY Times)
• Trump to roll back Obama-era clean car rules in huge blow to climate fight (The Guardian)

March 26, 2020 | OPEN LICENSE TO POLLUTE

The US EPA announced new “guidelines” for how companies monitor environmental violations, pollution and hazardous waste waiving a requirement for reporting, and will not issue fines for violations. Former EPA Adminstrator, Gina McCarthy, called it “an open license to pollute.”

• Trump administration allows companies to break pollution laws during coronavirus pandemic (The Guardian)
• E.P.A., Citing Coronavirus, Drastically Relaxes Rules for Polluters (NY Times)
• “An open license to pollute”: Trump administration indefinitely suspends environmental protection laws during coronavirus pandemic (CBS News)
• The EPA appears to be using coronavirus to make huge concessions to polluters (Vox)

March 3, 2020 | ANTI-SCIENCE “TRANSPARENCY” RULE MOVING FORWARD

• EPA Announces Supplement to Science Transparency Proposed Rule (Press Release)
• The Trump Administration Is Enshrining Its Anti-Science Policy in the Midst of an Epidemic (Mother Jones)

Other Articles

• As the Nation Worries About Coronavirus, the Trump Administration is Rolling Back Environmental Rules (Mother Jones)

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