SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
A New York Times investigative report on President Donald Trump's nearly two-year environmental record and how his industry-friendly policies are impacting communities nationwide, published in the Thursday paper, "reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences."
That's according to 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, who added on Twitter that "futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy."
\u201cGood solid journalism reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences. Futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy\u201d— Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben) 1545914460
The "must-read" report focuses on examples from California, North Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia, with special attention paid to policy changes at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior Department--which have both seen Trump-appointed agency heads resign amid numerous ethics probes.
Acknowledging a previous Times analysis of the 78 environmental rules--including many implemented under former President Barack Obama--that the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress have worked to eliminate, the report details how the EPA, at the behest of industry lobbyists, quashed a ban on the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has "sickened substantial numbers of farmworkers" in rural California, where more than a third of U.S. produce is grown.
While that move is being contested in federal court, it exemplifies how the administration has often defied scientific findings and warnings in favor of demands from pesticide producers, fossil fuel developers, and other polluting industries. As the Times put it:
Since taking office, Mr. Trump has consistently sided with powerful economic constituencies in setting policy toward the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the presence of chemicals in our communities.
In the process, he has frequently rejected or given short shrift to science, an instinct that has played out most visibly in his disdain for efforts to curb global warming but has also permeated federal policy in other ways.
The Times also examines Trump's rollbacks--and the subsequent public health consequences--of air quality regulations that aimed to reduce dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide pollution from coal-burning power plants in Texas; policies crafted to clean up West Virginia waterways polluted with arsenic, mercury, and selenium by the coal industry in West Virginia; and limits targeting flaring and leaks of methane on federal or tribal lands, including the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
Considering the Interior Department's September 2018 reversal of such limits after complaints from Big Oil, Walter DeVille, who lives on the reservation and whose wife has been diagnosed with a respiratory condition common among oil field workers, told the Times, "We are sort of powerless... This is our reality now."
A Times summary highlighting five key takeaways from the report--which pointed out that while the consequences of Trump's polluter-friendly policies "are starting to play out in noticeable ways in communities across the United States," the full impact "of the Trump-era policies may not be fully apparent until years after Mr. Trump leaves office"--emphasized:
Although the "incredible" and "devastating" report--produced by Eric Lipton, Steve Eder, and John Branch--garnered significant praise, some more cautious language choices also elicited criticism. For example, the Times reads, "Beyond the glare of Washington, President Trump's retreat on the environment is unfolding in consequential ways for the health and safety of Americans."
While characterizing the report as "a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations," author and climate activist Alex Steffen noted, "Trump is not 'retreating' from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it."
\u201cThis is a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations.\n\nImportant language point, though: Trump is not "retreating" from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it.\n\nhttps://t.co/xTzMP2va35\u201d— Alex Steffen (@Alex Steffen) 1545855160
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A New York Times investigative report on President Donald Trump's nearly two-year environmental record and how his industry-friendly policies are impacting communities nationwide, published in the Thursday paper, "reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences."
That's according to 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, who added on Twitter that "futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy."
\u201cGood solid journalism reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences. Futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy\u201d— Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben) 1545914460
The "must-read" report focuses on examples from California, North Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia, with special attention paid to policy changes at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior Department--which have both seen Trump-appointed agency heads resign amid numerous ethics probes.
Acknowledging a previous Times analysis of the 78 environmental rules--including many implemented under former President Barack Obama--that the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress have worked to eliminate, the report details how the EPA, at the behest of industry lobbyists, quashed a ban on the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has "sickened substantial numbers of farmworkers" in rural California, where more than a third of U.S. produce is grown.
While that move is being contested in federal court, it exemplifies how the administration has often defied scientific findings and warnings in favor of demands from pesticide producers, fossil fuel developers, and other polluting industries. As the Times put it:
Since taking office, Mr. Trump has consistently sided with powerful economic constituencies in setting policy toward the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the presence of chemicals in our communities.
In the process, he has frequently rejected or given short shrift to science, an instinct that has played out most visibly in his disdain for efforts to curb global warming but has also permeated federal policy in other ways.
The Times also examines Trump's rollbacks--and the subsequent public health consequences--of air quality regulations that aimed to reduce dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide pollution from coal-burning power plants in Texas; policies crafted to clean up West Virginia waterways polluted with arsenic, mercury, and selenium by the coal industry in West Virginia; and limits targeting flaring and leaks of methane on federal or tribal lands, including the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
Considering the Interior Department's September 2018 reversal of such limits after complaints from Big Oil, Walter DeVille, who lives on the reservation and whose wife has been diagnosed with a respiratory condition common among oil field workers, told the Times, "We are sort of powerless... This is our reality now."
A Times summary highlighting five key takeaways from the report--which pointed out that while the consequences of Trump's polluter-friendly policies "are starting to play out in noticeable ways in communities across the United States," the full impact "of the Trump-era policies may not be fully apparent until years after Mr. Trump leaves office"--emphasized:
Although the "incredible" and "devastating" report--produced by Eric Lipton, Steve Eder, and John Branch--garnered significant praise, some more cautious language choices also elicited criticism. For example, the Times reads, "Beyond the glare of Washington, President Trump's retreat on the environment is unfolding in consequential ways for the health and safety of Americans."
While characterizing the report as "a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations," author and climate activist Alex Steffen noted, "Trump is not 'retreating' from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it."
\u201cThis is a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations.\n\nImportant language point, though: Trump is not "retreating" from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it.\n\nhttps://t.co/xTzMP2va35\u201d— Alex Steffen (@Alex Steffen) 1545855160
A New York Times investigative report on President Donald Trump's nearly two-year environmental record and how his industry-friendly policies are impacting communities nationwide, published in the Thursday paper, "reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences."
That's according to 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, who added on Twitter that "futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy."
\u201cGood solid journalism reminds us that the Trump soap opera has dire real-world consequences. Futures are foreclosed because he's a tool of dirty energy\u201d— Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben) 1545914460
The "must-read" report focuses on examples from California, North Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia, with special attention paid to policy changes at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior Department--which have both seen Trump-appointed agency heads resign amid numerous ethics probes.
Acknowledging a previous Times analysis of the 78 environmental rules--including many implemented under former President Barack Obama--that the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress have worked to eliminate, the report details how the EPA, at the behest of industry lobbyists, quashed a ban on the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has "sickened substantial numbers of farmworkers" in rural California, where more than a third of U.S. produce is grown.
While that move is being contested in federal court, it exemplifies how the administration has often defied scientific findings and warnings in favor of demands from pesticide producers, fossil fuel developers, and other polluting industries. As the Times put it:
Since taking office, Mr. Trump has consistently sided with powerful economic constituencies in setting policy toward the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the presence of chemicals in our communities.
In the process, he has frequently rejected or given short shrift to science, an instinct that has played out most visibly in his disdain for efforts to curb global warming but has also permeated federal policy in other ways.
The Times also examines Trump's rollbacks--and the subsequent public health consequences--of air quality regulations that aimed to reduce dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide pollution from coal-burning power plants in Texas; policies crafted to clean up West Virginia waterways polluted with arsenic, mercury, and selenium by the coal industry in West Virginia; and limits targeting flaring and leaks of methane on federal or tribal lands, including the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
Considering the Interior Department's September 2018 reversal of such limits after complaints from Big Oil, Walter DeVille, who lives on the reservation and whose wife has been diagnosed with a respiratory condition common among oil field workers, told the Times, "We are sort of powerless... This is our reality now."
A Times summary highlighting five key takeaways from the report--which pointed out that while the consequences of Trump's polluter-friendly policies "are starting to play out in noticeable ways in communities across the United States," the full impact "of the Trump-era policies may not be fully apparent until years after Mr. Trump leaves office"--emphasized:
Although the "incredible" and "devastating" report--produced by Eric Lipton, Steve Eder, and John Branch--garnered significant praise, some more cautious language choices also elicited criticism. For example, the Times reads, "Beyond the glare of Washington, President Trump's retreat on the environment is unfolding in consequential ways for the health and safety of Americans."
While characterizing the report as "a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations," author and climate activist Alex Steffen noted, "Trump is not 'retreating' from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it."
\u201cThis is a great package on the real-world, human costs of Trump's gutting of pollution regulations.\n\nImportant language point, though: Trump is not "retreating" from environmental responsibility, he's overtly attacking it.\n\nhttps://t.co/xTzMP2va35\u201d— Alex Steffen (@Alex Steffen) 1545855160