Climate Committee Dems Urge President and Outgoing Trump Officials To Immediately End Harmful Environmental Rollbacks

Dec 1, 2020
Press Release

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, Chair Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Democratic Members of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis sent a letter to President Trump and outgoing Trump Administration officials, urging them to immediately end the dismantlement of bedrock clean air and water protections and public health safeguards as President Trump prepares to leave office.

 

“We write to express our strong opposition to your efforts to use the remainder of the Trump Administration to undercut the public health and climate protections afforded by our nation’s laws,” the Members wrote. “We also urge you to work with President-Elect Biden, Vice President-Elect Harris, and their transition team to ensure a seamless transition for the sake of the country.”

 

The letter was sent to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks, as well as President Trump.

 

The congressional Members demand that outgoing Trump officials immediately stop the eleventh-hour environmental rollbacks and regulatory changes that will threaten the health and pocketbooks of families across the nation, especially in communities already suffering from a legacy of pollution. These harmful regulatory actions include:

 

  • EPA’s mislabeled "Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science"
  • EPA’s harmful "Increasing Consistency and Transparency in Considering Costs and Benefits in the Rulemaking Process"
  • EPA’s “Review of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards”
  • EPA’s "Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter"
  • DOI and USFS move to boost dirty fossil fuel production on public lands
  • DOI’s recent order drastically changing how Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) dollars can be spent
  • OCC’s so-called “Fair Access to Financial Services”


“We urge you to immediately suspend implementation of all efforts intended to weaken the public health and climate protections afforded by our bedrock environmental laws,” the Members wrote.

 

In the letter, the Members also remind these Trump officials of their responsibility to comply with statutory record-keeping requirements, including those under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Congressional Review Act.

 

The letter was signed by: Chair Kathy Castor; Rep. Suzanne Bonamici; Rep. Julia Brownley; Rep. Jared Huffman; Rep. A. Donald McEachin; Rep. Mike Levin; Rep. Sean Casten; and Rep. Joe Neguse.

 

Read the full letter HERE.


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116th Congress

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