Republicans-Creators of the EPA-Have Become the Party of Environmental Degradation

The Trump Administration is run by industry insiders with deep conflicts of interest, the very lobbyists whom were vilified when he promised to “drain the swamp” are running government agencies. Scott Pruitt, head of the EPA is an attorney who built his career by suing the federal agency. Pruitt is dismantling environmental protections at a breathtaking rate, which will impact your health and cost you money.

Fact #1 Global Warming Increases the Acidification of the Oceans

Increased carbon in the atmosphere contributes to global warming, increases acidification of the oceans, which kills coral, which supports marine life eaten by fish, and ultimately by us. Increased temperatures in the oceans have caused rapid melting of stabilizing ice in the Artic and Antarctica, as people have observed in real time due to cameras and satellite transmissions.[1] The Trump Administration has deliberately sought to suppress scientific evidence of irreparable environmental damages from carbon emissions, to such a degree, scientists made a safety cache of their research when the Trump team took over, fearing the rogue-anti-science cabinet would destroy data. Here is a link to the real report by government scientists on the state of the planet and global warming.[2]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/climate/document-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report.html

Fact #2 Global Warming Increases Ocean Temperatures and Raises Sea Levels

Global warming of the oceans has contributed to the increased frenzy of hurricanes, rising sea levels, and submerging of coastal cities. Destruction of barrier islands and other habitat by dredging for maritime traffic and development contributes to a reduction in storm protection for coastal cities. Construction in floodplains should meet standards for flood tides.

Fact #3 Global Warming Melts Glaciers Which Feed Rivers and Causes Drought and Famine

 Increased carbon is also melting the glaciers on all the mountains in the world, including the tallest, Mount Everest or Denali. Ice samples have been laboriously gathered by scientist and climber, John All in South America, Asia, and North America. All is the author of Icefall: Adventures at The Wild Edge of Our Dangerous Changing Planet[3], a white-knuckle traveler’s tale of peaks and proof of the unrelenting damage humans are inflicting on the planet. Mount Everest or Chomolungma is essentially twice as tall as Mount Rainer or Tahoma, the tallest glaciated peak in the lower forty-eight states. He details evidence of shrinking glaciers even on the top of the tallest mountain in the world, one where you need supplemental oxygen just to survive. In some of the rain forests All has visited, there is no longer rain, and entire animal populations have fled. If there is no rain, there is no water, if there is no fresh water, there is no life. Do read John All’s memoire and shearing tale of environmental science on the frontline.

https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-

To inform your decision making, do review this chart for a brief analysis of what Scott Pruitt, U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency has done to further erode the environment which we all share:

EPA Rule	Action	How It Impacts You
Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews	Overturned the requirement that industry consider environmental damages in developmental plans[4]	Greenhouse gases are the largest contributor to global warming and cause; rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans, increasing global temperatures (records for the last 3 consecutive years)
Methane gas reporting requirement for leak detection and repair was to begin June 2, 2017 as part of the Clean Air Act	Halted this requirement on June 2nd, but federal court in D.C. prevented him from doing so in August.[5]	Methane is a greenhouse gas and one of the greatest contributors to global warming, caused by oil and gas industry
Calculation of the social cost of carbon, which uses a scale to apply dollar values to environmental costs[6] [7] [8]	Struck this requirement for coal, oil, and gas industry; why consider others when you must only think of yourself and how much money you make	The social cost, means impact on citizens, such as health (asthma, poisoning), flood risk, and harm to the environment, such as air quality.
Anti-dumping rule for coal companies; which reviewed surface water impacts in building permits	Blocked the Obama Administration’s Stream Protection Rule-Removed the requirement that coal companies cease from dumping tailings known as excess spoil into streams	This will exacerbate the poisoning of fresh water supplies, just ask Butte, Montana residents what that means. Plus, the repeal of the dumping rule will impact fisheries.
Removed mining and drilling restrictions in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge; also opened oil drilling on almost all of AK, including Bristol Bay and off shore drilling in the Artic.	Pristine wilderness area, set to be pillaged by oil industry. Just google Exon oil spill if you want to understand what is at stake[9]	The world is awash in oil, prices are down, and the U.S. is producing so much excess oil Congress approved the sale  of our strategic oil reserves. We don’t need more oil, we need clean air and water and a live-able planet.
Copper filter cake used in electroplating, was listed as a hazardous waste and impacts the semiconductor industry	Delisted this as a hazardous waste effective October 2, 2017, after a petition by Texas based, Samsung[10]	The chemicals in this device include; cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and cyanide, all hazardous to your health.[11]
Limits on toxic discharge from steam electric coal fired power plants, effective January 4, 2016, as part of the Clean Water Act	Compliance with the new rules to reduce water pollution by mercury and other chemicals generated from power plants has been postponed.[12]	Steam electric plant discharges include arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium, chromium, and cadmium. Many of these toxic pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years.
Pesticide chlorpyrifos, also known as Lorsban, used on orchards, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries. It was to be banned in 2016 for farm use and was banned for household use a decade ago.[13]	The EPA had gathered evidence this pesticide was harmful to humans, especially to farm workers; decision not to ban Lorsban on March 27,2017 goes against EPA’s own research. It has been shown to reduce IQ in children.	Pesticide is harmful to humans, and organic food alternatives are available. When you see the product warning label at the market, pay attention, and wash the product!
Federal building standards for improved infrastructure in flood areas were reversed by executive order days before Hurricane Harvey hit.[14]	In other words, requiring FEMA funded rebuilding to take flood risk into replacement design was wiped away by the Trump Administration.	Why not prepare for flooding with better infrastructure, the answer is, if Obama thought of it, Trump wants to dump it. Now we are all going to pay more for this foolish decision when the next Hurricane comes along and the buildings which were rebuilt and didn’t meet flood standards must be rebuilt at tax payer expense.

Mr. Pruitt, an Oklahoman, doesn’t live near an ocean, so rising sea waters may not be of concern, but poisoning the well water and aquifers, in his region of the country will affect his neighbors, which has resulted from fracking, a chemical and hydro-laden process of leaching oil reserves buried deep in the earth.[15] None of us can afford to wait for a more prudent and responsible EPA Administrator to right the calamitous actions of Mr. Pruitt, please contact your state and federal representative and urge action against his callous mandates.

And this is the healthpolicymaven signing off, encouraging you to act on fully informed consent for legislation that impacts your air, water, and food sources. Lung cancer and asthma are just some of the human caused harms we must curb. Winter is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-U-S-Health-Care-Personal/dp/1442222972

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[1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/18/climate/antarctica-ice-melt-climate-change.html

[2] U.S Global Change Research Program Climate Science Special Report, June 28, 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/climate/document-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report.html

[3] John All and John Balzar, Icefall: Adventures At The Wild Edges Of Our Dangerous Changing Planet, Public Affairs, an imprint of Perseus Books, a division of PBG Publishing, a subsidiary of Hatchet Book Group Inc, March 14, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-Planet/dp/1610396936/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507747688&sr=1-1&keywords=icefall+john+all;

[4]By NADJA POPOVICH and LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA  52 Things Environmental Rules On The Way Out Under Trump ,The  New York Times, October 6, 2017    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/05/climate/trump-environment-rules-reversed.html

[5] https://thinkprogress.org/appeals-court-rules-against-epa-on-methane-rule-delay-8329e79d9d8e/

[6] https://www.brookings.edu/testimonies/the-social-costs-of-carbon/

[7] https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-social-cost-carbon

[8] https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climatechange/social-cost-carbon_.html

[9] https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/03/the-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-25-years-ago-today/100703/

[10] https://www.environmentalleader.com/2017/10/174462/

[11] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/10/02/2017-21112/hazardous-waste-management-system-identification-and-listing-of-hazardous-waste

[12] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/09/18/2017-19821/postponement-of-certain-compliance-dates-for-the-effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-standards-for

[13] http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/29/521898976/will-the-epa-reject-a-pesticide-or-its-own-scientific-evidence

[14] http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-reversed-obama-flooding-regulations-before-hurricane-harvey-2017-8

[15] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-fracking-wastewater-wells-poisoning-ground-beneath-our-feeth/