On February 28th, Donald Trump signed another executive order targeting environmental protections. This order was issued with the intent of dismantling the Clean Water Rule, also called the Waters of the United States rule. This current attack calls for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider the rule governing pollutants in local water sources. Current EPA administrator and climate change denier Scott Pruitt was involved in a lawsuit against the EPA in previous years over this anti-pollution rule.
The Clean Water Rule
Under former President Obama in 2015, the Clean Water Rule was enacted to protect the country's water sources under the federal Clean Water Act. It includes protections for streams, wetlands, and other water sources that provide drinking water for well over 117 million Americans. Republicans argue that the Clean Water Rule imposes too many government restrictions on corporations, small businesses, and farmers. They believe that the smaller bodies of water have no need for protection against pollution even though these waterways bring drinking water to almost half of the nation. Irreversible damage is caused by pollutants and will prove to be much more costly to attempt to clean up after the damage has been done.
Campaign promises
It seems that Trump is making good on his campaign promises to restrict and eventually abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. In his first days as president, Trump signed multiple executive orders cutting government funds to the EPA and silencing both them and the National Parks Service on all forms of social media.
He has also successfully appointed climate change denier Scott Pruitt as the head of the EPA. His confirmation came as a shock as he has been involved in lawsuits against the EPA for years and is also highly influenced by big oil companies in foreign nations. Since Trump has taken office, republicans have attacked the Endangered Species Act, the EPA, and multiple national parks across the country.
Environmentalism has not taken a backseat. It has been taken to the battlefield. Scientists and conservationists are not taking these attacks lightly. They have organized the People's Climate March, which is set to launch on April 29th. This is an attempt to bring preservation, climate change, and other important science issues to the forefront of policymaking.
