WASHINGTON, D.C. October 29, 2020 – As the real-life implications of actions of the Trump administration continue to grow, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) has released an updated version of the Trump Environmental Record, a snapshot of the most significant decisions or proposals by the Trump EPA, and their expected negative effects on people’s health and environmental conditions. EPN released the first version of this report in April of this year.
The rollbacks and efforts to weaken the rules have serious and measurable consequences, especially for already overburdened low-income communities and communities of color. Increased air pollution will lead to more respiratory illness and heart disease, and shorten people’s lives. Decreased water quality threatens our drinking water and the rivers, lakes and streams that support fisheries and support outdoor recreation in every state. Reduced Superfund cleanups are leaving communities peering through fenced properties at acres of contaminated land. And climate change and its devastating consequences have been left largely unchecked.
Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) harnesses the expertise of more than 500 former EPA officials to provide an informed and rigorous defense against efforts by the Trump administration to undermine EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment. To date, our volunteers have produced almost 100 analytical documents, submitted over 50 formal comments and letters, and testified at almost 30 agency hearings and advisory board meetings. EPN has become a trusted resource to reporters, NGOs, and Congress, and continues to help answer the call for objective analysis and scientific accuracy about public health and EPA when all of these are under siege.