Trump’s Proposed EPA Cuts Threaten Health & Lives of Tens of Millions of Americans

New details have emerged on the Trump administration’s plans to dramatically reduce the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. According to a leaked copy of the EPA’s 2018 budget proposal, the agency’s overall budget would be slashed by 25 percent. "The bottom line, if these cuts go through, we can almost guarantee with certainty that there will be more premature deaths and more sicknesses throughout the country," says Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. "The public should be outraged at that." This comes as the Trump administration has vowed to roll back Obama-era EPA actions, and the White House continues to grapple with its position on the Paris climate agreement. We are also joined by Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. AMY GOODMAN: New details have emerged on the Trump administration’s plans to slash the Environmental Protection Agency. According to a leaked copy of the EPA’s 2018 budget, the agency’s overall budget would be slashed by 25%. Staffing would be reduced by 20%, or by 3000 jobs. The plan calls for the complete elimination of EPA programs on climate change, toxic waste cleanup, environmental justice, and funding for native Alaskan villages. It would slash funding to states for clean air and water programs by 30%. New EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt appeared to downplay the severity of the cuts in a speech Thursday to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. SCOTT PRUITT: In this budget discussion that’s ongoing with Congress, it’s a — just starting, so there are concerns about some of these grant programs that EPA has been a part of historically. I want you to know that with the White House and also with Congress, I am communicating a message that the Brownfields Prgram, the Superfund Program, water infrastructure, WIFIA grants, state revolving funds, are essential to protect. AMY GOODMAN: The proposed cuts to the EPA’s budget come as the Trump administration’s vowed to roll back Obama-era EPA actions, including major climate change regulations like the Clean Power Plan and climate change research. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of rewriting the 2015 water jurisdiction rule known as Waters of the United States, a law opposed by many conservatives. The act gives the federal government broad authority to limit pollution in major bodies of water as well as in streams and wetlands that drain into those waters. This is President Trump speaking at the signing of the order. PRES. DONALD TRUMP: The EPA’s so-called Waters of the United States rule is one of the worst examples of a federal regulation, and it has truly run amok and is one of the rules most strongly opposed by farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers all across our land. It’s prohibiting them from being allowed to do what they’re supposed to be doing. It’s been a disaster. The EPA’s regulators were putting people out of jobs by the hundreds of thousands. And regulations and permits started treating our wonderful small farmers and small businesses as if they were a major industrial polluter. They treated them horribly. WENONAH HAUTER: Well, it’s outrageous. And I think we have to put it in context. The slashing of staff would put the number of employees down to about 12,400. In 2010, there were 17,000 employees. So, we’ve already seen sharp cuts of the EPA budget from $10 billion in 2010 to now it would be $6 billion. It also takes the number of EPA employees down to about 1985 levels. And we should be clear that 90 percent of EPA programs are run by state agencies. Half the staff is located in regional offices. So, Scott Pruitt is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He said during his hearing that he believed that the states should be enforcing environmental laws, and yet they are cutting the budget so that the states will not have the funding to be able to keep our most precious resources clean. BILL BECKER: It’s going to be overwhelming. It’s going to rip the soul out of state and local governmental implementation. There are more people who die from air pollution today, 40,000, than from almost not only every other environmental problem, but most other social problems we face. As many WENONAH HAUTER: Well, first of all, I’m not too surprised to see the Trump administration talking out of both sides of their mouth. We know that Steve Bannon is strictly ideological. In fact, wants to destroy the environment and many people in it. Rex Tillerson, when he was CEO of Exxon, actually supported the Paris agreement. The Paris agreement did not have hard targets or sanctions. The most concrete thing in the agreement was to use measurements that each signatory would use measurements that could be verified going forward. So, Tillerson wants to have a seat at the table, as he said. And doesn’t want to appear to be as strident internationally. But we should be clear that we need to do a lot more than be one of the signatories to the Paris agreement. And of course, there is now some talk that Congress would actually make it a treaty and there would have to be a vote in Congress, which is nonsense, since it isn’t actually a treaty. Now, as far as the Shell film from 1981.