How Trump could reshape EPA on 'Day 1'

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Jul 18, 2024 View in browser
 
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By Francisco "A.J." Camacho

Presented by Chevron

Donald Trump, wearing a bandage on his ear, speaks.

Former President Donald Trump arrives for the third night of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

Donald Trump may get a second chance to weaken the Environmental Protection Agency — and this time, he’ll be prepared.

Project 2025, a second-term playbook prepared by a throng of conservative activists, details how the former president could roll back climate regulations, weaken enforcement and overhaul EPA’s workforce, writes Jean Chemnick.

Trump and his team have tried mightily in recent weeks to distance themselves from Project 2025, with senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita dismissing the Heritage Foundation initiative Thursday as “a pain in the ass.” But the project’s authors include former Trump Cabinet officials and others with deep ties to his first administration.

And its EPA chapter was drafted by Mandy Gunasekara, who served as the agency’s chief of staff during his presidency and has left open the possibility she might return.

Why this time might be different

Reluctance from career staff stalled some potential EPA changes during Trump’s first term, Gunasekara said. But Project 2025 calls for extensive structural and workforce changes to streamline reforms and prevent resistance.

“The biggest difference is we have a plan from Day 1,” Gunasekara told Jean.

The chapter describes EPA as an agency “amenable to being coopted by the Left for political ends” and outlines how to carry out a “conservative vision.” One proposal: shrinking the pool of industries required to report their greenhouse gas emissions each year to EPA.

Project 2025 also proposes that EPA “update” its 2009 conclusion that greenhouse gases endanger public health and the environment. The finding is the foundation for all Clean Air Act climate regulations (and could be legally tricky to undo).

Gunasekara’s plan would also have EPA weigh current costs more heavily than long-term benefits, making it harder to justify new environmental rules. And it would resurrect a Trump-era rule that required EPA to make public the data from all studies that underpin regulations — a move that critics say would prevent the agency from considering research that uses anonymous datasets.

Fearful feds

Despite Trump’s disavowals, the Project 2025 blueprint is already worrying members of EPA staff who are distraught over the prospect of a second Trump administration, Robin Bravender and Kevin Bogardus write.

“It’s the uncertainty, that’s what gets to you,” one EPA employee told Robin and Kevin.

Workers at several federal agencies fear losing their jobs and seeing years of work trashed. Panic has only increased as Democrats debate whether to replace President Joe Biden as their nominee and Trump’s campaign gains steam.

Republicans have spent the week pitching themselves to voters at the Republican National Convention, where Trump has appeared energized after surviving last weekend’s attempted assassination. Tonight, he will formally accept the GOP nomination.

If he retakes the White House, Trump has promised to “demolish the deep state” and make it easier to fire federal employees. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has urged him to fire “every civil servant.”

 

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Energy demand is projected to reach record highs and continue to rise in the future. Chevron is responding to that growing need while innovating to help do so responsibly. All to help us provide energy that’s affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner.

 

It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Francisco “A.J.” Camacho. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jkirkland@eenews.net.

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Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman discusses his on-the-ground reporting at the Republican National Convention and takeaways about how the GOP is approaching energy and climate change.

 

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Power Centers

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance arrives to speak during the third night of the Republican National Convention.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance arrives to speak during the third night of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

'Green New Scam'
Trump’s running mate — Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) — called President Joe Biden’s energy and climate goals a “Green New Scam” in remarks at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, writes Andres Picon.

Vance argued the U.S. should produce more domestic energy, saying "we’re done buying energy from countries that hate us." The U.S., however, is already the world's top oil and liquefied natural gas producer, its top gas exporter and a net exporter of both gas and petroleum.

Vance’s energy rhetoric was echoed throughout the RNC and may feature in Trump’s scheduled address tonight.

FERC faceoff
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine, state regulators and environmental groups are filing lawsuits against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, writes Niina H. Farah.

Chevron directed courts to defer to reasonable federal agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes. With the doctrine gone, the public service commissions of Mississippi and Louisiana see an opportunity to overturn FERC’s Order 1920, which sets planning requirements for regional transmission development. In contrast, groups like the Environmental Defense Fund are suing to tighten regulations beyond Order 1920.

Critics argue the order exceeds the agency’s authority as outlined by Congress, while supporters say it will help advance access to renewable energy.

The (von der) lion's roar
German politician Ursula von der Leyen was comfortably reelected as European Commission president today after executing a careful balancing act between greens and conservatives, write Zia Weise, Leonie Cater and Marianne Gros.

Von der Leyen’s winning pitch included several green policies that she framed as beneficial for Europe’s economy and security. The approach mirrors Biden’s messaging on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 — America’s largest green spending package ticketed by the White House as an economic godsend.

The Commission president’s plan includes a 90 percent cut to EU emissions by 2040 and a “Clean Industrial Deal for competitive industries and quality jobs in the first 100 days of the mandate.”

 

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In Other News

Ford flip-flops: A Canadian Ford plant the company previously said would produce electric vehicles is now slated to manufacture gas-powered F-150 trucks.

Better butter? A Bill Gates-backed startup is pulling CO2 from the air and mixing it with oxygen and hydrogen to create a butter substitute.

 

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A delegate holds up a sign during the Republican National Convention.

A delegate holds up a pro-oil sign during Wednesday's session of the Republican National Convention. | Nam Huh/AP

The Republican National Convention has been swarmed with energy lobbyists this year, with various groups pitching how their interests — be it fossil fuels or green energy — fit with Trump’s “energy dominance” vision.

The Navajo Nation — where one in three households lacks safe drinking water access — is on the verge of securing water from the Colorado River, but congressional approval for the plan is far from guaranteed.

The Department of Energy is working with a California initiative to set up 10 clean hydrogen production sites across the state.

That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.

 

A message from Chevron:

Oil and gas are still an important part of the global energy system. To help responsibly address growing needs, Chevron is stepping up. Our Gulf of Mexico facilities are some of the world’s lowest carbon intensity operations, and our technological advances enable us to reach previously unviable oil and gas reserves there. In the Permian Basin, we’re harnessing new drilling and completion technologies to increase the amount of oil we recover. We expect to reach 1 million barrels of oil-equivalent there per day by 2025. Providing energy that’s affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner. That’s energy in progress.

 
 

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