Trump started his reign in 2017 with the passing of several environmentally unfriendly policies such as The Dakota and Keystone Pipelines, instating a fossil fuel CEO as chief diplomat, instating Scott Pruit as EPA chief, retracting the emissions info request, and many more. If you thought that the changes the Trump administration made in 2017 were bad for the environment, just wait until you hear about what he's doing in 2018. The Trump administration has promised vast changes to current environemtnal policy, let's see how he delivered.
1. Offshore oil and gas drilling
The administration kicked off the new year by proposing a reversal of the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling. This will expand offshore gas and oil drilling, and could possibly lead to another BP oil spill.
2. Censoring of climate change websites
The Trump administration is quietly altering climate change references on federal websites devoted to informing citizens about climate change. This includes the Environmental Protection Agency's website along with others. An investigation by the Environmental Data and Governance initiative has reported that there has been a systematic reduction in access to climate content.
3. Accidental bird deaths declared legal
In the last few weeks of the Obama administration, the accidental killing of birds by oil contamination by companies was declared illegal. The Trump administration said they will no longer criminally prosecute the killing of birds by companies.
4. Climate change removed from the list of national security threats
After mocking climate change in his campaign, Trump has recently decided to remove climate change from his list of National Security Threats. Instead, the Trump administration is focusing on border control and economic competitiveness.
5. Downsizing two national monuments in Utah
The Bear's Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante monuments are scheduled to be downsized by the Trump administration. Bear's Ears will be cut by almost 85 percent, and the Grand Staircase Escalante will be reduced by almost half. This motion will completely reshape land conservation in the United States.
7. Most of the National Advisory Board resigned in protest
On January 15th, nine of the 12 members of the National Advisory Board resigned in protest of the Trump Administration. The unpaid members of the National Advisory Board advise the National Park System, the National Park Service, and the Secretary of the Interior on a wide range of matters, and it also helps to select national historic landmarks.
8. EPA budget cuts
The Trump administration decided to cut the EPA's 2018 budget by 31%, nearly $150 million.
9. A reinvigoration of coal and fossil fuels
The Trump administration is in favor of reverting to mainly coal-powered energy. Trump believes that climate change is a myth and that the burning of fossil fuels has nothing to do with global warming.
