Politics

/

ArcaMax

Trump unwound environmental rules before. He's vowed to again in a second term

Drew Kann and Meris Lutz, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on

Published in Political News

In his first term as president, Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate deal, weakened decades-old environmental protections and rolled back many regulations on polluting industries installed by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.

Now, with Trump set to return to the White House, a similar fate may await many of President Joe Biden’s landmark policies. Only this time, experts say there’s reason to believe he could have more success.

“They don’t have the same learning curve they had the first time … ,” said Adam Orford, an assistant professor of environmental law at the University of Georgia.

Trump will also take over with a conservative majority cemented on the Supreme Court, which has already curbed the regulatory reach of federal agencies. Republicans also regained a Senate majority and have a shot to control the U.S. House of Representatives.

Still, there may be limits — both political and legal — to what a second Trump administration can accomplish.

Global climate change efforts

Trump has long denied climate change science and has called the man-made warming that is increasing the intensity of hurricanes and heat waves a “hoax.”

Trump is expected to back out of the Paris Agreement again and step away from other global efforts to cooperate on climate change.

The U.S. has emitted more greenhouse gases than any country in history and its withdrawal could blunt efforts to curb warming, just as the planet inches closer to temperature thresholds scientists have warned will lead to even more dangerous and severe weather.

Orford said the world needs America as a partner and “completely disengaging would be not fatal, but would certainly be a major setback for the international climate change response.”

EVs and clean energy

The Biden administration has tried to use both carrots and sticks to accelerate the country’s transition to clean energy and rein in climate change.

The Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature climate and health law, codified a raft of tax breaks to encourage manufacturers to build their electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries and more in the U.S. On the consumer side, the law offers tax credits for North American-made EVs, plus other clean energy technologies and appliances.

 

Trump has repeatedly attacked Democrats’ climate spending as a “scam” and has promised to undo it.

Direct spending tied to the law — like grants for clean energy research — could be altered or scaled back by executive orders, but doing away with the IRA’s tax credits and deductions would be a bigger lift, experts said.

Though not a single Republican in Congress voted for the IRA, GOP-led states — including Georgia — have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the investments it spurred.

In recent years, Georgia has become a mecca of EV, battery and solar manufacturing, with companies like Hyundai Motor Group and Qcells building new factories. Even some supporters of Trump, including U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., have warned a full repeal could imperil the jobs those projects are set to create.

The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have some leeway in how they interpret tax law, but the credits themselves could not be undone without congressional action — something several experts deemed unlikely, even if Republicans retake both chambers.

“It’s not really the Republican brand to rescind tax cuts, even if they’re not necessarily the tax cuts that they themselves would have preferred,” said Dustin Stamper, who leads the tax legislative affairs practice at accounting firm Grant Thornton.

Environmental protections

The Biden administration has tightened limits on greenhouse gases from vehicles and power plants, which combined produce more than half the country’s annual emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Biden’s EPA also finalized the first-ever drinking water standards for certain “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to cancers and other serious health problems.

Industry has pushed back and the rules could be in Trump’s crosshairs, Orford said.

-------


©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Lee Judge Kevin Siers John Deering Lisa Benson John Darkow Scott Stantis