His first day as president and Donald Trump‘s executive actions have already solicited a response from the leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.
According to Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin and Chellie Pingree, and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jared Huffman, who issued a letter in response to Trump’s executive orders, some will benefit polluters at the expense of hardworking everyday Americans.
“Like you, we were elected by the American people to serve the public good, to protect Americans from harm, to grow the middle class, and to make our government work for the average American. We are committed to working with your administration to accomplish those goals, but we will fight back against your efforts to dismantle the federal response to climate change, gut our bedrock pollution regulations, and run roughshod over landmark environmental protections,” the letter stated.
The letter reminds Trump that Americans support clean energy and believe the science of climate change.
“They want the government to protect our natural environment and safeguard Americans from industrial pollution and harmful pollutants. They did not elect you to gut our bedrock pollution and environmental protections, and we will not stand by while you endanger the American people,” the leaders wrote.
The letter highlighted Trump’s executive actions that will roll back critical pollution regulations and environmental protections, dismantle federal climate change programs, and block the build out of clean energy while promoting polluting, expensive fossil fuels.
“We strongly condemn your day one executive actions rolling back critical pollution regulations and environmental protections. If there’s one thing Americans can agree on, it’s that everyone wants clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. We often take pollution regulations and environmental protection laws for granted, but this is a testament to the success of these foundational protections. In the 50 years since Congress enacted these laws, the federal government has dramatically improved air and water quality across the nation, saved dozens of species from near extinction, reversed damage,” the leaders wrote to the 47th president.
Notably, the leaders point out executive orders that threaten to eliminate vehicle pollution rules in the U.S., which the SEEC said have significantly improved air quality in major cities and reduced childhood asthma across the country.
Trump’s day one actions threaten to overturn vehicle regulations in California, a state that led the nation in pioneering vehicle pollution regulations. The SEEC said stricter standards in California have driven global innovation in vehicle technology, from catalytic converters to electric vehicles.
According to the SEEC, Trump withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement puts America on the menu instead of sitting at the table. The agreement is the world’s framework for reducing planet-warming pollution and fighting climate change. Removing the U.S. from the agreement reduces the nation’s influence in the world, threatens prosperity and delivers an easy win to China.
The Biden-Harris Administration took commonsense actions to make sure federal agencies considered the impact of climate change and Trump’s overturning orders on climate change will not prevent climate change from happening.
“We urge you to reverse course and maintain these important programs and preserve these fundamental protections. The American public supports clean energy, and they believe the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. They want the government to protect our natural environment and safeguard Americans from industrial pollution and harmful pollutants. They did not elect you to gut our bedrock pollution and environmental protections, and we will not stand by while you endanger the American people. We urge you to work with us to implement cost-effective and efficient policies that address climate change, pollution and environmental degradation while reducing costs for American families,” the letter concludes.
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Rebecca Barnabi
