Thread: States Are Doing What Scott Pruitt Won’t

Originally Posted by Judy

I think we have a REAL EPA CHIEF. Why else would he need a soundproof phone booth if he wasn't fixing an agency that hadn't fixed the problems? He's fixing an agency that couldn't even get a basic water test right in Flint, Michigan.

Geez, I can think of a number of possible reasons he feels he needs a private phone booth and many of them don't include fixing our country!

Originally Posted by artist

HOGWASH! All states have an EPA state level and they are all beholding to industry - they didn't catch anything? That is why we need accountability not private talks.

You think pruitt will be better - he won't test at all. He wants to make deals with industry in his private phone booth and not get caught. His calendar is filled with meetings with them. Put 2+2 together. Guess you like toxic coal residue in your water. Doesn't add jobs just $$$ for coal industry and their share holders. Guess you are fine with the damage toxicity causes the unborn fetus.

Then why did you post an article claiming "states are doing what scott pruitt won't"?!

Originally Posted by Judy

Then why did you post an article claiming "states are doing what scott pruitt won't"?!

I'm not going to get in the middle of your discussion with artist. However, I will remind you that many of us sometimes post articles we don't agree with.

You don't make sense and believe you like to waste others time just so you can argue @ what you think is right because you are either eating too many pork chops and filled with hogwash or you are totally blinded with adulation for trump. Either one is a health hazard.

it was posted to show how much toxicity has been ongoing nationwide and now even more should be allowed. Why don't you answer why you think it is ok to endanger fetuses with toxicity from industries? As I said states re Michigan & Pennsylvania for that matter are not doing the job of protecting environment. It takes a while for the public to be informed and react but Pa republicans are done due to release of them ordering EPA NOT to inspect fracking sites & Pa Heath Services putting health complaints in the trash as they were told to do. How stupid can anyone be to ok such underhanded modalities?

Judy Wrote: (first post)

I wonder why Obama didn't fix this? He had 8 years and all the environmentalists on his instant dial. I've known for decades about the hazards of Teflon coatings. People need to ask "why doesn't it stick?" The food doesn't stick because the coating disconnects or peels off from the pan attached to your food, and you eat it.

The chemicals in Teflon interact with the food causing a chemical reaction. During this chemical reaction, the molecules of the chemicals in the coating interact with the molecules of the food being cooked and separate from the coating on the pan, entering the food. That's why it doesn't stick. When you eat the food with the chemical molecules, the molecules enter your body, they then become part of you, they also become part of your waste, this waste enters the sewer system, waste treatment plants do not remove these types of chemicals, just like they don't remove medications when you flush them down the toilet, the sewer system eventually empties all of these chemicals into the water supply which eventually make their way to our oceans and contaminate whales. Then people complain about the water supply they contaminated by eating foods cooked on Teflon-coated pans and medications they flushed down the toilet instead of disposing of them in the trash.

Then people accuse someone who doesn't do any of this of endangering fetuses with toxicity because ..... oh yeah, they're a Trump Supporter.

I don't think alerting people that eating food cooked on Teflon-coated pans means they're eating these chemicals is "wasting our time."

But, you're certainly entitled to your opinions, artist.

Then people accuse someone who doesn't do any of this of endangering fetuses with toxicity because .

WAKE UP! That is why trump wants pruitt - to do away with ALL regulations and make matters worse. trump is very wrong in his greediness $$$ by attempting to INCREASE toxicity over a healthy, balanced eco-system - sustainable for man & beast.

Some of us don't ride the adulation train; we demand progress, away from the swamp lands. We demand all day one campaign PROMISES be upheld. Excuses for him don't cut it & won't make him be responsible for his word. Only a cad would endanger the people by carte' blanche cutting of regulations w/o review and then the faux EPA chief pays $57,000 for a private phone booth. Pa-leeze give it a break. I'm tired of this nonsense.

During the campaign, Trump promised to cut regulations at EPA and many other agencies, and he was elected on that basis. He said he was going to revive the clean coal industry and he was elected on that basis. Scott Pruitt is delivering on Trump's campaign promises with regards to EPA and the coal industry, and apparently doing a great job.

He campaigned on closing border, ending daca, etc - 100,000 asylums entered and are on the dole right now, daca still here and God only knows how many illegals thru catch and release or not apprehended at all. He has not closed the border as promised! And still 70% of IT workers are Visa holders, NOT AMERICANS. No reduction but MORE hb-2 low skilled workers.

He campaigned on issues the facebook data provided to his campaign and rallied for them all just to win. Apparently meaningless words. If he gave time to ALL the promises he made instead of carte' blanche removal of regulations WITHOUT ANY REVIEW OF THE CONSEQUENCES, then we would have a president to be proud of - right now we do not.

Removing regulations w/o review increases corporate profits - does not add jobs! trump & his buddies are monstrous and worship the golden cow...they obviously do not care 2cents @ our citizens, our environment, our creatures.

The windmill link depicts progress w/o toxicity..well guess we will just have to be kept behind times by big gas & oil. And trump...
http://How Windmills as Wide as Jumb...rgy Mainstream

67 Environmental Rules on
the Way Out Under Trump

By NADJA POPOVICH, LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA and KENDRA PIERRE-LOUIS UPDATED Jan. 31, 2018

Since taking office last year, President Trump has made eliminating federal regulations a priority. His administration — with help from Republicans in Congress — has often targeted environmental rules it sees as overly burdensome to the fossil fuel industry, including major Obama-era policies aimed at fighting climate change.

To date, the Trump administration has sought to reverse more than 60 environmental rules, according to a New York Times analysis, based on research from Harvard Law School’s Environmental Regulation Rollback Tracker, Columbia Law School’s Climate Tracker and other sources.

33 rules have been overturned
Flood building standards

• Proposed ban on a potentially harmful pesticide
• Freeze on new coal leases on public lands
• Methane reporting requirement
• Anti-dumping rule for coal companies
• Decision on Keystone XL pipeline
• Decision on Dakota Access pipeline
• Third-party settlement funds
• Offshore drilling ban in the Atlantic and Arctic
• Ban on seismic air gun testing in the Atlantic
• Northern Bering Sea climate resilience plan
• Royalty regulations for oil, gas and coal
• Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews
• Permit-issuing process for new infrastructure projects
• Green Climate Fund contributions
• Endangered species listings
• Hunting ban on wolves and grizzly bears in Alaska
• Protections for whales and sea turtles
• Reusable water bottles rule for national parks
• National parks climate order
• Environmental mitigation for federal projects
• Calculation for “social cost” of carbon
• Planning rule for public lands
• Copper filter cake listing as hazardous waste
• Mine cleanup rule
• Sewage treatment pollution regulations
• Ban on use of lead ammunition on federal lands
• Restrictions on fishing
• Fracking regulations on public lands
• Migratory bird protections
• Department of Interior climate policies
• Rule regulating industrial polluters
• Safety standards for “high hazard” trains

24 rollbacks are
in progress

• Clean Power Plan
• Paris climate agreement
• Car and truck fuel-efficiency standards
• Offshore oil and gas leasing
• Status of 10 national monuments
• Status of 12 marine areas
• Limits on toxic discharge from power plants
• Coal ash discharge regulations
• Emissions standards for new, modified and reconstructed power plants
• Emissions rules for power plant start-up and shutdown
• Sage grouse habitat protections
• Regulations on oil and gas drilling in some national parks
• Oil rig safety regulations
• Regulations for offshore oil and gas exploration by floating vessels
• Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge
• Hunting method regulations in Alaska
• Requirement for tracking emissions on federal highways
• Emissions standards for trailers and glider kits
• Limits on methane emissions on public lands
• Permitting process for air-polluting plants
• Use of birds in subsistence handicrafts
• Coal dust rule
• Haze rule for national parks
• Review process for forest restoration projects

10 rollbacks are
in limbo

• Wetland and tributary protections
• Methane emission limits at new oil and gas wells
• Limits on landfill emissions
• Mercury emission limits for power plants
• Hazardous chemical facility regulations
• Groundwater protections for uranium mines
• Efficiency standards for appliances
• Efficiency standards for federal buildings
• Rule helping consumers buy fuel-efficient tires
• Aircraft emissions standards

The chart above reflects three types of policy changes: rules that have been officially reversed; announcements and changes still in progress, pending reviews and other rulemaking procedures; and regulations whose status is unclear because of delays or court actions. (Several rules were undone but later reinstated after legal challenges.)

The process of rolling back the regulations has not been smooth, in part because the administration has tried to bypass the formal rulemaking process in some cases. On more than one occasion, the administration has tried to roll back a rule by announcing its intent but skipping steps such as notifying the public and asking for comment. This has led to a new kind of legal challenge, according to Joseph Goffman, executive director of Harvard’s environmental law program. Courts are now being asked to intervene to get agencies to follow the process.

Regulations have often been reversed as a direct response to petitions from oil, coal and gas companies and other industry groups, which have enjoyed a much closer relationship with key figures in the Trump administration than under President Barack Obama.

Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has frequently met with industry executives and lobbyists. (As Oklahoma’s attorney general, Mr. Pruitt sued the agency he now oversees more than a dozen times to try to block Obama-era rules.) The E.P.A. has been involved in nearly one-third of the policy reversals identified by The Times.

Here are the details for each policy targeted by the administration so far — including who lobbied to get the regulations changed. Are there rules we missed? Email climateteam@nytimes.com or tweet @nytclimate.

overturned

1. Revoked Obama-era flood standards for federal infrastructure projects
This Obama-era rule, revoked by Mr. Trump last August, required that federal agencies protect new infrastructure projects by building to higher flood standards. Building trade groups and many Republican lawmakers opposed it as costly and burdensome.

2. Rejected a proposed ban on a potentially harmful pesticide
Dow AgroSciences, which sells the pesticide chlorpyrifos, opposed a risk analysis by the Obama-era E.P.A. that found the compound posed a risk to fetal brain and nervous system development. Mr. Pruitt rejected the E.P.A. analysis, reversing the Obama-era efforts to ban the compound, arguing that it needed further study. In December of 2017 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a biological opinion that chlorpyrifos — along with two other pesticides, Diazinon and Malathion — are harmful to endangered salmon.

3. Lifted a freeze on new coal leases on public lands
Coal companies weren't thrilled about the Obama administration's three-year freeze pending an environmental review. Mr. Zinke, the interior secretary, revoked the freeze and review in March of 2017. He appointed members to a new advisory committee on coal royalties in September.

4. Canceled a requirement for oil and gas companies to report methane emissions
In March of 2017, Republican officials from 11 states wrote a letter to Mr. Pruitt, saying the rule added costs and paperwork for oil and gas companies. The next day, Mr. Pruitt revoked the rule.

5. Revoked a rule that prevented coal companies from dumping mining debris into local streams
The coal industry said the rule was overly burdensome, calling it part of a “war on coal.” In February last year, Congress passed a bill revoking the rule, which Mr. Trump signed into law.

6. Approved the Keystone XL pipeline
Republicans, along with oil, gas and steel industry groups, opposed Mr. Obama's decision to block the pipeline, arguing that the project would create jobs and support North American energy independence. After the pipeline company reapplied for a permit, the Trump administration repealed the policy in an April 2017 executive order and instructed his interior secretary, Mr. Zinke, to review the locations made available for offshore drilling. In January the Trump administration opened nearly all United States coastal waters to offshore drilling.

10. Proposed the use of seismic air guns for gas and oil exploration in the Atlantic
Following a executive order in April last year known as the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, the Trump administration began an application process to allow five oil and gas companies to survey the Atlantic using seismic air guns, which fire loud blasts that can harm whales, fish and turtles. The Obama administration had previously denied such permits.

11. Revoked a 2016 order protecting the northern Bering Sea region in Alaska
Mr. Trump revoked a 2016 order by Mr. Obama that was meant to protect the Bering Sea and Bering Strait by conserving biodiversity, engaging Alaska Native tribes and building a sustainable economy in the Arctic, which is vulnerable to climate change. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, has said she will work on new legislation that would reinstate the part of Mr. Obama’s order that required policies be vetted by the region’s tribes.

12. Repealed an Obama-era rule regulating royalties for oil, gas and coal
Lobbyists for the fossil fuel industry opposed 2016 Interior Department regulations meant to ensure fair royalties were paid to the government for oil, gas and coal extracted from federal or tribal land. In August of 2017, the Trump administration rescinded the rule, saying it caused “confusion and uncertainty” for energy companies.

13. Withdrew guidance for federal agencies to include greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews
Republicans in Congress opposed the guidelines, which advised federal agencies to account for possible climate effects in environmental impact reviews. They argued that the government lacked the authority to make such recommendations, and that the new rules would slow down the issuing of permits. Critics say that by eliminating the guidance, the administration is inviting lawsuits that could slow down permitting even more.

14. Relaxed the environmental review process for federal infrastructure projects
Oil and gas industry leaders said the permit-issuing process for new infrastructure projects was costly and cumbersome. In an August executive order, Mr. Trump announced a policy he said would streamline the process for pipelines, bridges, power lines and other federal projects. The order put a single federal agency in charge of navigating environmental reviews, instituted a 90-day timeline for permit authorization decisions and set a goal of completing the full process in two years.

15. Announced intent to stop payments to the Green Climate Fund
Mr. Trump said he would cancel payments to the fund, a United Nations program that helps developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Mr. Obama had pledged $3 billion, $1 billion of which Congress has already paid out over the opposition of some Republicans.

16. Removed a number of species from the endangered list
Arguing that they no longer warranted protection, the Trump administration removed a number of species from the endangered and threatened species lists, including the Yellowstone grizzly bear, which the Obama administration had also proposed removing. While Republicans had long pushed to have the bears removed, environmentalists said the population had not yet recovered.

17. Overturned a ban on the hunting of predators in Alaskan wildlife refuges
Alaskan politicians opposed the law, which prevented hunters from shooting wolves and grizzly bears on wildlife refuges, arguing that the state has authority over those lands. Congress passed a bill revoking the rule, which Mr. Trump signed into law.

18. Withdrew proposed limits on endangered marine mammals caught by fishing nets on the West Coast
Under Mr. Trump, the National Marine Fisheries Service withdrew the proposed rule, noting high costs to the fishing industry and arguing that sufficient protections were already in place.

19. Stopped discouraging the sale of plastic water bottles in national parks
The National Park Service had urged parks to reduce or eliminate the sale of disposable plastic water bottles in favor of filling stations and reusable bottles. The International Bottled Water Association called the action unjustified.

20. Rescinded an Obama-era order to consider climate change in managing natural resources in national parks
The 2016 policy, which called for scientific park management, among other objectives, was contested by Republicans. In August, the National Park Service said it rescinded the policy to eliminate confusion among the public and National Park Service employees regarding the Trump administration’s “new vision” for America’s parks.

21. Revoked directive for federal agencies to mitigate the environmental impacts of projects they approve
In a March 2017 executive order, Mr. Trump revoked an Obama-era memorandum that instructed five federal agencies to “avoid and then minimize” the impacts of development on water, wildlife, land and other natural resources. The memo also encouraged private investment in restoration projects.

22. Directed agencies to stop using an Obama-era calculation of the “social cost of carbon”
As part of an expansive March 2017 executive order, Mr. Trump directed agencies to stop using an Obama-era calculation that helped rulemakers monetize the costs of carbon emissions and instead base their estimates on a 2003 cost-benefit analysis. Despite the federal rollback, several states, including New York and Minnesota, are using the Obama-era metric to help reduce emissions from their energy grids.

23. Revoked an update to the Bureau of Land Management's public land use planning process
Republicans and fossil fuel industry groups opposed the updated planning rule for public lands, arguing that it gave the federal government too much power at the expense of local and business interests. Congress passed a bill revoking the rule, which Mr. Trump signed into law.

24. Removed copper filter cake, an electronics manufacturing byproduct, from the “hazardous waste” list
Samsung petitioned the E.P.A. to delist the waste product, which is produced during electroplating at its Texas semiconductor facility. The E.P.A. granted the petition after a public comment period.

25. Reversed a proposed rule that mines prove they can pay for cleanup
Mining groups and Western-state Republicans opposed an Obama-era proposal that mining companies prove they have the money to clean up pollution left behind at their sites. Abandoned mines have left waterways polluted in many parts of the country. In December, the Trump administration rejected the proposed rule, saying it would impose an undue burden on rural America and on an important sector of the economy.

26. Withdrew a proposed rule reducing pollutants at sewage treatment plants
In December 2016, the E.P.A. proposed a rule requiring sewage treatment plants to further regulate emissions, which can include hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, toluene and tetrachloroethylene.

27. Overturned ban on use of lead ammunition on federal lands
Mr. Zinke overturned the Obama-era order, which banned the use of lead ammunition and fish tackle on lands and waters managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, citing lack of “significant communication, consultation or coordination with affected stakeholders.”

28. Amended fishing regulations for a number of species
After a push by commercial fishing groups, the Trump administration began to roll back regulations on catch limits and season openings for various species of fish, including gray triggerfish, while proposing to review rules for others.

29. Announced plans to rescind water pollution regulations for fracking on federal and Indian lands
Energy companies petitioned the Bureau of Land Management to rescind the rule, which was proposed by Mr. Obama in 2015 but never enforced because of legal challenges. In July, the bureau announced plans to revoke the rule, citing Mr. Trump's "prioritization of domestic energy production." At the end of December, the rule was officially rescinded. This year, conservation and tribal groups along with the state of California sued to block the repeal.

30. Rolled back an Obama-era policy aimed at protecting migratory birds
In December, Mr. Trump's administration reversed a statement that energy companies might face prosecution for accidentally killing birds while operating their facilities.

31. Rollled back the Department of Interior's climate and mitigation policies
Following a March 2017 executive order, the Department of the Interior rescinded Obama-era climate and mitigation policies and directed the Bureau of Land Management to review its mitigation strategies for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

32. Overturned a Clinton-era rule designed to regulate industrial polluters
In January 2018, the E.P.A. issued new guidance overturning a Clinton-era regulation designed to regulate industrial polluters. Under the old rules factories and other facilities that released airborne pollutants above a set threshold were required to install technologies that reduced pollution to the maximum level achievable. They were also required to maintain these technological controls even if they dropped below the threshold level. The new rules overturn the requirement to maintain these controls.

33. Reversed an Obama-era rule that required braking system upgrades for trains carrying oil and ethanol
In December, the Department of Transportation said it could no longer justify Obama-era rules that required improved braking systems on “high hazard” trains hauling flamabale liquids. The rules were designed to help prevent accidents like the 2013 train derilment in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people. That train, carrying crude oil, derailed in Lac-Mégantic's downtown, where it caught fire and exploded. The rule had been opposed by the railroad and oil industries as costly and unnecessary.

in progress

34. Proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan
Coal companies and Republican officials in many states opposed the plan, which set limits on carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants. Mr. Trump issued an executive order in March last year instructing the E.P.A. to re-evaluate the plan, which had not taken effect. In October, the E.P.A. proposed repealing the plan without a replacement. In December, however, the department published a notice proposing a rule that would replace the plan . The comment period for the replacement proposal was slated to end in February, but has been extended through April 26th.

35. Announced intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement
Arguing that it tied his hands in matters of domestic energy policy, Mr. Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris accord, under which the United States had pledged to cut emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its intent to withdraw, but it cannot complete the process until late 2020. The United States is the only country in the world opposed to the agreement.

36. Reopened a review of fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks
Automakers said it would be difficult and costly to meet fuel economy goals they had agreed upon with the Obama administration. Under Mr. Trump, the E.P.A. and Department of Transportation have reopened a standards review for model years 2021 through 2025. The administration is also considering easing penalties on automakers who do not comply with the federal standards.

37. Proposed reopening nearly all U.S. waters for oil and gas drilling
The fossil fuel industry and Republican lawmakers pushed Mr. Zinke to revise a five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan finalized by the Obama administration. The Obama-era plan put 94 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf off limits to drilling. Mr. Zinke's initial plan would open up over 90 percent of the area, but several states are now seeking exemptions.

38. Recommended shrinking or modifying 10 national monuments
Republicans in Congress said the Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to designate national monuments, had been abused by previous administrations. Mr. Obama used the law to protect more than 4 million acres of land and several million square miles of ocean. Mr. Trump ordered a review of recent monuments, culminating in proclamations that shrank two Utah sites, reducing Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante almost by half. At least five lawsuits are challenging the modifications.

39. Reviewing 12 marine protected areas
As part of his April executive order aimed at expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, Mr. Trump called for a review of national marine sanctuaries and monuments designated or expanded within the past decade. In June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that 12 protected marine areas were under review. In his recommendation to the president, Mr. Zinke, the interior secretary, called for introducing commercial fishing in three protected marine areas: Rose Atoll, in the South Pacific; Pacific Remote Islands, to the south and west of Hawaii; and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, off the coast of New England.

40. Reviewing limits on toxic discharge from power plants into public waterways
Utility and fossil fuel industry groups opposed the rule, which limited the amount of toxic metals — arsenic, lead and mercury, among others — power plants could release into public waterways. Industry representatives said complying with the guidelines, which were to take effect in 2018, would be extremely expensive. In September, Mr. Pruitt postponed the rule until 2020.

41. Reviewing rules regulating coal ash waste from power plants
Utility industry groups petitioned to change the rule, which regulates how power plants dispose of coal ash in waste pits that are often located near waterways. In December, the E.P.A. proposed technical changes to the rule, as well as alternative performance standards. In January, the EPA accepted an application from Oklahoma seeking state regulatory coal over its coal ash instead of E.P.A. control.

42. Reviewing emissions standards for new, modified and reconstructed power plants
In addition to the Clean Power Plan, Mr. Trump's Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence called on the E.P.A. to review a related rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new, modified and reconstructed power plants.

43. Reviewing emissions rules for power plant start-ups, shutdowns and malfunctions
Power companies and other industry groups sued the Obama administration over the rule, which asked 36 states to tighten emissions exemptions for power plants and other facilities. The E.P.A. under Mr. Trump asked the court to suspend the case while the rule undergoes review.

44. Announced plans to review greater sage grouse habitat protections
Oil and gas industry leaders criticized the Obama administration's plan, developed in coordination with thousands of stakeholders, for protecting the bird, whose numbers have plummeted in recent years. In July, the Bureau of Land Management issued recommendations that gave states greater latitude than the original plan. In December, The B.L.M. ended Obama-era rules that prioritized putting oil and gas drilling projects and grazing habitats outside of sage grouse habitat. The policy shifts led to an increase in federal leasing in sage grouse habitat in Wyoming at the end of 2017. In the first quarter of 2018, the agency is expected to offer seven times more sage grouse habitat for leasing in Wyoming compared to the same quarter in 2017.

45. Ordered review of regulations on oil and gas drilling in national parks where mineral rights are privately owned
Mr. Trump’s March executive order called for a review of Obama-era updates to a 50-year-old rule regulating oil and gas drilling in national parks with shared ownership. (Most national parks are owned solely by the government, and drilling in them is banned. In some parks, though, the government owns the surface but the mineral rights are privately held.)

46. Reviewing new safety regulations on offshore drilling
The American Petroleum Institute and other trade groups wrote to the Trump administration, raising concerns over oil rig safety regulations implemented after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In August, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed it was moving forward with the review. Mr. Trump had ordered a review of the rules earlier in the year.

47. Ordered a review of a rule regulating offshore oil and gas exploration by floating vessels in the Arctic
As part of the expansive executive order on offshore drilling, Mr. Trump called for an immediate review of a rule intended to strengthen safety and environmental standards for exploratory drilling in the Arctic. The rule, a response to the 2013 Kulluk accident in the Gulf of Alaska, increased oversight of floating vessels and other mobile offshore drilling units.

48. Proposed ending a restriction on exploratory drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Republicans have long sought to to open the Alaska refuge to gas and oil drilling. In August, an Interior Department internal memo proposed lifting restrictions on exploratory seismic studies in the region, which is home to polar bears, caribou and other Arctic animals. In December, Republicans in Congress lifted the decades-old ban on drilling in the refuge as part of a sweeping tax bill. President Trump signed the bill into law on Dec. 22.

49. Ordered a review of federal regulations on hunting methods in Alaska
Obama-era rules prohibited certain hunting methods in Alaska’s national preserves. They overruled state law, which had allowed hunters to bait bears with food, shoot caribou from boats and kill bear cubs with their mothers present. Alaska sued the Interior Department, claiming that the regulations affected traditional harvesting. The Trump administration ordered a review.

50. Proposed repeal of a requirement for reporting emissions on federal highways
Transportation and infrastructure industry groups opposed a measure that required state and local officials to track greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on federally funded highways. The rule took effect in September, after the Trump administration's attempts to postpone it were challenged in court. But the administration formally proposed reversing the rule the next week.

51. Proposed a repeal of emissions standards for trailers and glider kits
Stakeholders in the transportation industry opposed the Obama-era rule, which for the first time applied emissions standards to trailers and glider vehicles. They argued that the E.P.A. lacked the authority to regulate them, because their products are not motorized. In November, the E.P.A. proposed repealing the standards.

52. Suspended rule limiting methane emissions on public lands
The oil and gas industry opposed the rule, which required companies to control methane emissions on federal or tribal land. The House voted this year to revoke the rule, but the Senate rejected the measure, 51 to 49. In December, after a series of legal challenges, the Bureau of Land Management published a notice in the Federal Register delaying the requirements for a year. A coalition of environmental groups has sued the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior over the delay.

53. Announced plans to review permitting programs for air-polluting plants
In an October memorandum, Mr. Pruitt announced that a panel would be established to reconsider a permitting process for building new facilities like power plants that pollute the air. “The potential costs, complexity, and delays that may arise” from the permitting process, Mr. Pruitt wrote, could “slow the construction of domestic energy exploration, production or transmission facilities.”

54. Overturned a ban on using parts of migratory birds in handicrafts made in Alaska
The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council — which includes federal, state and Alaska Native representation — recommended changes to the rule, which banned making handicrafts in Alaska from inedible parts of migratory birds that were hunted for food.

55. Announced a review of coal dust limits in mines
An Obama administration rule was intended to lower miners’ exposure to coal dust in an attempt to reduce the incidence of black lung disease. The Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced in December that it would seek a study of the Obama-era requirements, which the mining industry opposes.

56. Announced rewriting of rule meant to reduce haze in national parks
The E.P.A. announced a planned rewrite of an Obama-era update to regional haze regulations aimed at reducing air pollution in national parks and wilderness areas by 2064. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt noted that “some or all of the issues” raised by industry groups and conservatives – including costs and other regulatory burdens – would be considered. The haze program, which requires older coal-fired power plants and other sites to implement more stringent pollution controls, had been a source of conflict between state and federal auhorities under Mr. Obama. Since Mr. Trump took office last year, the E.P.A. has loosened or delayed implementation of regional haze plans in several states, including Arkansas, Texas and Utah.

57. Announced plans to revise environmental review process for forest “restoration” projects
After complaints from Congress and the timber industry, a January memo from the Department of Agriculture announced plans to review procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act, “with the goal of increasing efficiency of environmental analysis” when it comes to approval of forest restoration or thinning projects.

in limbo

58. Proposed rescinding a rule that protected tributaries and wetlands under the Clean Water Act
Farmers, real estate developers, golf course owners and many Republican politicians opposed an Obama-era clarification of the Clean Water Act, called the Waters of the United States rule, that extended protections to small waterways. Under Mr. Trump's direction, Mr. Pruitt issued a proposal in June 2017 to roll back the expanded definition. In January 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that challenges to the rule must be heard in district courts rather than in appeals courts. Later that month the E.P.A. formally suspended the rule for two years. The next day the New York attorney general vowed to sue to block the suspension.

59. Reviewing a rule limiting methane emissions at new oil and gas drilling sites
Lobbyists for the oil and gas industries petitioned Mr. Pruitt to reconsider a rule limiting emissions of methane and other pollutants from new and modified oil and gas wells. A federal appeals court has ruled that the E.P.A. must enforce the Obama-era regulation while it rewrites the rule. The E.P.A. said it may do so on a “case by case” basis.

60. Put on hold rules aimed at cutting methane emissions from landfills
Waste industry groups objected to this Obama-era regulation, which required landfills to set up methane gas collection systems and monitor emissions. In May, the E.P.A. suspended enforcement of the new standards for 90 days, pending a review. The delay period has since passed, meaning the rule is in effect util the administration reviews and replaces the rule.

61. Delayed a lawsuit over a rule regulating airborne mercury emissions from power plants
Coal companies, along with Republican officials in several states, sued over this Obama-era rule, which regulates the amount of mercury and other pollutants that fossil fuel power plants can emit. They argued that the rule helped shutter coal plants, many of which were already compliant. Oral arguments in the case have been delayed while the E.P.A. reviews the rule.

62. Delayed a rule aiming to improve safety at facilities that use hazardous chemicals
Chemical, agricultural and power industry groups said that the rule, a response to a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed 15 people, did not increase safety. Mr. Pruitt delayed the standards until 2019, pending a review. Eleven states are now suing over the delay.

63. Continuing review of proposed groundwater protections for certain uranium mines
Republicans in Congress came out against a 2015 rule which regulated byproduct materials from a type of uranium mining. They said the E.P.A. had not conducted an adequate cost-benefit analysis of the rule. The Obama administration submitted a revised proposal one day before Mr. Trump was sworn into office. The Trump administration must now decide the fate of the rule.

64. Delayed publishing efficiency standards for household appliances
A number of states and environmental groups sued the Trump administration for failing to publish efficiency standards for appliances like heaters, air conditioners and refrigerators. In one case, the administration reversed course and published efficiency standards for ceiling fans. Other standards are still being contested in court.

65. Delayed compliance dates for federal building efficiency standards
Republicans in Congress opposed the rules, which set efficiency standards for the design and construction of new federal buildings. The Trump administration delayed compliance until Sept. 30, but it is unclear whether the rules are now in effect.

66. Withdrew a rule that would help consumers buy more fuel-efficient tires
The rule required tire manufacturers and retailers to provide consumers with information about replacement car tires. The tire industry opposed several aspects of the rule, but had been working with the government to refine it. The Trump administration withdrew the proposed rule in January but has not said whether it may be reinstated.

67. Halted rulemaking on limiting greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft
Aircraft account for 3 percent of the United States' total greenhouse gas emissions, but in 2017, the E.P.A. changed the status of a proposed rule limiting aircraft emissions to “inactive” on the agency's website.

Some other rules were
reinstated after legal challenges

Environmental groups have sued the Trump administration over many of the proposed rollbacks, and, in some cases, have succeeded in reinstating environmental rules.

1. Suspended effort to lift restrictions on mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska
A Canadian company sued the E.P.A. over an Obama-era plan to restrict mining in Bristol Bay, an important salmon fishery. The Trump administration settled the suit and allowed the company to apply for permits to build a large gold and copper mine in the area. Alaska Republicans, including Senator Murkowski, supported the mine. Commercial fishermen and Governor Bill Walker of Alaska, an independent, opposed it. In January, the E.P.A. announced that it was reversing course and suspending its effort to withdraw the Obama-era restrictions on mining in the area. Instead, the agency will keep those restrictions in place while it learns more about the risk the mine, if built, would pose to the region’s fisheries and resources.

2. Delayed by one year a compliance deadline for new ozone pollution standards, but later reversed course
Mr. Pruitt initially delayed the compliance deadline for a 2015 national ozone standard, but reversed course after 15 states and the District of Columbia sued. In November, the E.P.A. certified those areas as being in compliance with the rule but refused to say which areas violated it. In December — after public health and environmental groups, 14 states and the District of Columbia sued the E.P.A. — a court ordered the agency to file a report on the remaining areas. In January, the E.P.A. further delayed its announcement untill April.

3. Reinstated rule limiting the discharge of mercury by dental offices into municipal sewers
The E.P.A. reinstated an Obama-era rule that regulated the disposal of dental amalgam, a filling material that contains mercury and other toxic metals. The agency initially put the rule on hold as part of a broad regulatory freeze, but environmental groups sued. The American Dental Association came out in support of the rule.

Note: This list does not include new rules proposed by the Trump administration that do not roll back previous policies, nor does it include court actions that have affected environmental policies independent of executive or legislative action.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...-reversed.html

PFAS can be found in:

• Food packaged in PFAS-containing materials, processed with equipment that used PFAS, or grown in PFAS-contaminated soil or water.
  
• Commercial household products, including stain- and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams (a major source of groundwater contamination at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurs).
  
• Workplace, including production facilities or industries (e.g., chrome plating, electronics manufacturing or oil recovery) that use PFAS.
• Drinking water, typically localized and associated with a specific facility (e.g., manufacturer, landfill, wastewater treatment, firefighter training facility).
• Living organisms, including fish, animals and humans, where PFAS have the ability to build up and persist over time.
  
• Studies indicate that PFOA and PFOS can cause reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in laboratory animals. Both chemicals have caused tumors in animals. The most consistent findings are increased cholesterol levels among exposed populations, with more limited findings related to:
  
• low infant birth weights,
• effects on the immune system,
• cancer (for PFOA), and
  
• thyroid hormone disruption (for PFOS).

How are people exposed to PFAS?

There are a variety of ways that people can be exposed to these chemicals and at different levels of exposure. For example, people can be exposed to low levels of PFAS through food, which can become contaminated through:

• Contaminated soil and water used to grow the food,
• Food packaging containing PFAS, and
• Equipment that used PFAS during food processing.

People can also be exposed to PFAS chemicals if they are released during normal use, biodegradation, or disposal of consumer products that contain PFAS. People may be exposed to PFAS used in commercially-treated products to make them stain- and water-repellent or nonstick. These goods include carpets, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging materials, and non-stick cookware.



Washington Approves First-in-Nation Ban on Nonstick “PFAS” Chemicals in Food Packaging

Bill Goes to Governor Inslee for Signature
Ivy Sager-Rosenthal | March 1, 2018

(Olympia, WA) – Last night, the Washington State Senate voted 30-17 to ban the use of paper food packaging products containing the harmful class of nonstick chemicals called “PFASs”. The bill, ESHB 2658, was sponsored by Rep. Joan McBride (D-Redmond). The bill has already passed the House, and now goes to Governor Inslee for signature. If the Governor signs the bill, Washington will be the first state in the nation to ban PFASs in food packaging.

PFAS chemicals are industrial chemicals that have become an emerging public health threat, showing up in drinking water, people, and the environment. Linked to cancer, liver toxicity, and other health effects, PFASs are extremely persistent and can stay in the human body for as long as 8 years.

Food packaging is a source of human exposure to nonstick chemicals when the chemicals move into the food when it comes into contact with the packaging. Studies also show the chemicals in food packaging get into soil, crops, water, and wildlife when the food packages are composted or landfilled.
Specifically, the legislation:

• Bans the use of PFAS chemicals in paper food packaging, like microwave popcorn bags, sandwich and butter wrappers, and french fry boxes, on January 1, 2022, as long as the Department of Ecology identifies that safer alternatives to PFASs are available by January 1, 2020.
• If Ecology is not able to identify a safer alternative by January 1, 2020, then the ban does not go into effect and Ecology must review the availability of alternatives every year.
• Once Ecology does identify a safer alternative, the ban goes into effect 2 years after the alternatives are identified.

A recent study found 100% of microwave popcorn bags likely contained PFASs. In a 2016 study of over 300 food packaging materials, nearly 40% were treated with fluorine and likely contained PFAS. More information on nonstick PFAS chemicals in food packaging can be found at toxicfreefuture.org/key-issues/legislative-priorities-2018.

Passage of the bill comes just one day after the House approved a first-in-the-nation ban on PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam (ESSB 6413).

“Our food should not be packaged in harmful chemicals that leach out and contaminate food, people, and the environment. The Legislature’s action on these chemicals will protect the health of our families and environment, and prevent future harm. We want to thank Representative Joan McBride, Senator Kevin Van De Wege, Representative Joe Fitzgibbons, and Senator Lisa Wellman for their leadership. Washington state is now a model for other states to follow,” said Laurie Valeriano, Executive Director, Toxic-Free Future.
“Getting these harmful chemicals out of our environment is one of the environmental community’s top priorities. We are pleased the Legislature took action to protect the health of communities across the state and look forward to Governor Inslee signing the bill,” said Clifford Traisman, lead lobbyist for Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters.
“The Arc of Washington State is very grateful for this positive action. This bill will reduce the toxins that are dangerous to people with developmental disabilities, especially those who have compromised immune systems,” said Diana Stadden, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, The Arc of Washington State.
“We are very excited for this bill to pass! We want all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to have access to save food that does not have these harmful toxics that can make us sick,” said Ivanova Smith, Self-Advocacy Coordinator, Self-Advocates In Leadership (SAIL).
“This is great news and a huge victory for communities of color. These communities are the most disproportionately impacted by contaminants and pollutants in the environment. We certainly do not need additional toxic, cancer-causing chemicals in the food we consume. The passage of this bill is a step in the right direction to protect the health of our children and all families in Washington State. We look forward to the Governor’s signature on this milestone of legislation,” said Óskar Zambrano Méndez, Director of Civic Engagement & Advocacy, Latino Community Fund.
“Tilth Alliance is thrilled that food packaging will now be free from this dangerous and long-lasting chemical. This is a positive step in making our food system safer for everyone,” said Jenny Thacker, Director of Corporate, Foundations and Government Relations, Tilth Alliance.
“Compost is so important for our home gardens and for the agricultural community. Removing PFAS in food packaging as a source of contamination in our commercial compost stream is critically important,” said Heather Trim, Executive Director, Zero Waste Washington.
“Faith leaders statewide thank legislators for upholding our shared value of protecting the most vulnerable by phasing out toxic PFAS chemicals in food packaging. This meaningful legislation addresses our moral obligation to protect families from toxic contamination in the products we use every day in our homes, houses of worship, and local businesses,” said Jessica Zimmerle, Earth Ministry Program and Outreach Director.
“It’s ridiculous that we store any of our food in potentially cancer-causing chemicals. This bill establishes Washington as a leader in protecting our families and communities from PFASs, and is a great first step in eliminating these harmful chemicals from our environment,” said Elise Orlick, Director, WashPIRG.

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Toxic-Free Future is a statewide nonprofit organization using science and advocacy to win strong health protections for people and the environment. Toxicfreefuture.org

https://toxicfreefuture.org/wa-legis...ood-packaging/