Saturday, June 3, 2017

The Trump EPA Again Decided to Prioritize Oil Companies over Public Health

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2017/05/31/433129/trump-epa-decided-prioritize-oil-companies-public-health/
"Just days after releasing a budget that is an assault on our nation’s clean air and water, President Donald Trump once again took steps to prioritize the oil and gas industry at the expense of the health and well-being of communities across the country. On May 31, 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally announced that it would halt and reconsider a requirement—set in 2016—that oil and gas companies detect and repair leaks of dangerous methane and other air pollution at their new operations. The EPA also is reconsidering methane pollution standards for certain types of drilling equipment. The EPA made this announcement on the same day that White House officials told the media that President Trump would likely withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The EPA’s action will allow companies to emit thousands of tons of toxic, heat-trapping, and smog-forming pollutants into the air, forcing communities across the country to breathe dirtier air and suffer the health consequences. The parts of the country with the most oil and gas drilling—such as Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Louisiana, Texas, and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s home state of Oklahoma—are likely to feel the greatest impacts."