{"id":20654,"date":"2020-11-19T13:31:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T18:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=20654"},"modified":"2020-11-19T13:52:20","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T18:52:20","slug":"the-lame-duck-trump-epa-is-rushing-to-finish-its-health-harming-agenda-heres-whats-in-danger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2020\/11\/19\/the-lame-duck-trump-epa-is-rushing-to-finish-its-health-harming-agenda-heres-whats-in-danger\/","title":{"rendered":"The lame-duck Trump EPA is rushing to finish its health-harming agenda. Here\u2019s what\u2019s in danger."},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Election Day, Americans rejected the Trump administration and its relentless assault on our health and environment. But now Trump\u2019s EPA administrator, Andrew Wheeler, is rushing to finish a flurry of rules before Inauguration Day \u2013 rules that are a threat to the health of the American people, and rules that EDF is prepared to fight in court.<\/p>\n

Wheeler is resuming his playbook from earlier this year, when EPA unleashed a barrage of health-harming policies just as Covid-19 was first spreading across the nation. As Americans grappled with sudden and unprecedented health, financial, and childcare challenges, Wheeler exploited the chaos<\/a> by advancing a series of policies that put the health of our communities in even greater danger. Some of Wheeler\u2019s anticipated moves now would finalize policies that were proposed during the first Covid-19 surge last spring, meaning that both ends of the rulemaking process will face reduced public scrutiny. That would hardly<\/a> be surprising<\/a> considering that secrecy<\/a> and a disregard<\/a> for public<\/a> accountability<\/a> have been hallmarks<\/a> of the Trump administration\u2019s health and environmental policy.<\/p>\n

As EDF<\/a> and others<\/a> have<\/a> repeatedly<\/a> emphasized<\/a>, EPA\u2019s actions will cause the greatest harm in low-income communities and communities of color \u2014 areas that have long suffered from a disproportionate and unjust share of health-harming pollution. Many of the same communities have suffered the highest rates<\/a> of Covid-19 impacts, and have struggled against voter suppression<\/a> in this election season.<\/p>\n

At EDF, we are not letting our guard down just because the Trump administration\u2019s days are numbered. We have repeatedly prevailed in court<\/a> against Wheeler\u2019s attacks on our health and environment, and we are prepared to fight against dangerous policies that the administration finalizes during its waning weeks.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of Wheeler\u2019s threats to the nation\u2019s climate and air quality that we are tracking:<\/p>\n

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