Environmental Protection Agency

[[File:Environmental_Protection_Agency_logo.svg|thumb|165px|Headed by Captain Planet villain {{wpl|Andrew R. Wheeler}}]]{{Enviro}}
The '''Environmental Protection Agency''', or '''EPA''', is an executive department in the [[United States]] charged with protecting the [[environment]] and overseeing [[human]] health issues as they relate to the environment.  A child of the social upheaval that was the  1960s, the EPA was created by the tree-loving [[hippie]] [[Richard Nixon]], in December, 1970. Arguably, public awareness raised by [[Rachel Carson]]'s masterpiece, ''Silent Spring'', published several years before, played a role in the eventual creation of this vital government agency.

Although the EPA does not create [[law]]s, they are involved in the process, by writing policy and enforcing both the policy and the larger laws that are written by the United States [[Congress]].  

The EPA has been involved in, among other things:

*Removing [[lead]] from as many products as possible (although the [[European Union]]'s {{wpl|Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive|ROHS}} initiative has gone further)
*Setting effective air and [[water]] quality standards, following the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts
*Regulating [[Greenhouse effect|greenhouse gases]] under the Clean Air Act
*Irritating [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Lxfm0oPr0 perverse business interest groups]
*Setting [[fossil fuel]] economy standards for [[car]]s sold in the US
*Establishing and maintaining the list of endangered species,<ref>[http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/ Endangered Species Act (ESA)], NOAA</ref> including the polar bear

==The Thin Green Line==
{{cquote|I want to replace, not reform EPA, because EPA is made up of [[Psychological projection|self-selected bureaucrats]] who are anti-American jobs, anti-American business, anti-state government, anti-local control, and I don’t think you can reeducate them.|||[[Newt Gingrich]]<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/02/17/207553/the-republican-plan-to-abolish-epa-ending-the-four-decade-bipartisan-consensus-to-ensure-health-air-and-water-for-our-kids/ "The Republican plan to abolish the EPA, ending the four-decade bipartisan consensus to ensure healthy air and water for our kids"], ThinkProgress 2.17.11.</ref>}}
The EPA has come under increased scrutiny from [[Republican party|Republican]] administrations,<ref>Wellington, Beth, [http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/12/epa-republicans-abolish "Why the GOP is going after the EPA"], ''[[The Guardian]]''. 9.12.11.</ref> particularly in bad economic times when companies can point to regulation and say ''"yo, [[Deregulation|get rid of these]] and we'll make more jobs."'' They even blame the EPA for nearly all forms of pollution.<ref>[[Anthony Watts]], [http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/08/19/shocker-global-warming-may-simply-be-an-artifact-of-clean-air-laws/ "Shocker: Global warming may simply be an artifact of clean air laws"], 9.9.13.</ref> [[Chris Christie|Almost]] every GOP candidate for President since [[Mitt Romney|Romney]] has pledged to reign in or kill the EPA.

Most conservatives accept that air pollution is an actual thing, they just believe it is the ''onus'' of big business to regulate itself. (Which is why they ''never'' lobby for looser restrictions or cheat during inspections.) The other tendency for [[Small government|small-government]] types is to claim these problems would be solved by ''expanding'' property rights, so as to fill the private courts with these types of cases, as though the threat of litigation alone is a deterrent. (Never mind the ''Exxon Valdez'' civil case ''only'' took 19 years to finally reach a settlement.)

You see, in [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] Crazy Town, the solution to polluted air and oceans and rivers is simple: [[Privatization of wildlife|Sell off the air and the oceans and the rivers]] to the highest bidder. Then the owners will protect it, or something.<ref>[[Murray Rothbard]], [https://mises.org/sites/default/files/Law,%20Property%20Rights,%20and%20Air%20Pollution_2.pdf "Law, Property Rights, and Air Pollution"], Originally published in the ''[[Cato Institute|Cato Journal]]'' 2, No. 1 (Spring 
1982): pp. 55-99.</ref>

We haven't quite figured out how you keep birds from flying, or fish from swimming, or build sky/ocean fences to keep "your" fish and "your" birds in "your" ocean and "your" land"... Actually, we're not sure they've figured out how to keep water/air from flowing, either. It's almost as if "property" is a man-made concept which makes no sense when applied to states of matter.

==The EPA under Trump: part one==
During the first [[Donald Trump]] administration, Trump and most Republicans in Congress have continued to undermine the EPA.<ref>[https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/four-republicans-propose-a-bill-to-abolish-the-environmental-protection-agency/ Four Republicans propose a bill to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency]</ref> Trump appointed Scott Pruitt, a man with several well-documented ''massive'' [[Conflict of interest|conflicts of interest]] who filed lawsuits against the EPA and a declared [[Climate change denialism|climate change denialist]], to lead the agency. When he unceremoniously resigned, {{wpl|Andrew R. Wheeler||,}} coal stuck up his ass, took the reins instead.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44733072 Scott Pruitt Quits As Head of US Environment Agency]. BBC News. July 6<sup>th</sup>, 2018.</ref> The [[irony]] can hardly be ignored.

Not surprisingly, environmental protection in the United States has been in free fall.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-epa-environment-pruitt-20170905-story.html</ref> The EPA sees many of its regulations and programs becoming rescinded or rolled back. Those introduced under [[Barack Obama]] are especially targeted out of spite.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/15/trump-to-reverse-obama-era-order-aimed-at-planning-for-climate-change/?utm_term=.5240d786340f</ref><ref>https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02052017/budget-climate-change-research-epa-donald-trump-scott-pruitt</ref> This means Trump is removing protections against climate change, exacerbating the damage inflicted by extreme weather, [[Politicization of science|politicizing the relevant science]], allowing pollution related problems to occur more frequently and on larger scales, all because he doesn't like Obama.<ref>http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/16/543712263/trump-rolls-back-obama-era-flood-standards-for-infrastructure-projects</ref><ref>http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/31/trump-obama-climate-agenda-list-238994</ref><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-executive-order-flooding_us_599323d4e4b04b193360926b</ref><ref>http://www.newsweek.com/under-trump-epa-more-about-politics-science-659578</ref><ref>http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/29/politics/trump-epa-cuts-infighting-climate-change/index.html</ref><ref>http://www.npr.org/2017/08/12/542998622/trump-s-epa-rolls-back-dozens-of-environmental-regulations</ref> He even cuts a "life-saving" program that specifically helps children just because it mentions "climate change",<ref>https://thinkprogress.org/trump-epa-kills-life-saving-grants-d40d53ab89ff/</ref> itself a phrase that he banned from being used in his administration.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/08/trump-administration-climate-change-ban-usda</ref><ref>http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/energy-department-climate-change-phrases-banned-236655</ref><ref>https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07082017/usda-trump-ban-words-climate-change-agriculture-conservation-email</ref>

==The EPA under Trump: part two==
During the second Trump administration, Republicans in the Senate approved Trump's appointee Lee Zeldin. Zeldin has been a climate change denier since he ceased being a Congressional Representative. Since joining the Trump cabal, he also become a 2020 election denier. Zeldin is expected to lead the dismantling of climate change regulations.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/climate/trump-chooses-lee-zeldin-to-run-epa.html Trump Chooses Lee Zeldin to Run E.P.A. as He Plans to Gut Climate Rules: The former congressman from New York is a strong supporter of Donald Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 election.] by Coral Davenport & Lisa Friedman (Nov. 11, 2024) ''The New York Times''.</ref>

One of Zeldin's first acts as EPA administrator was to demonstrate that he is indeed batshit crazy.<ref>[https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/icymi-administrator-lee-zeldin-finds-gold-bars-epa-stacey-abrams-connected-group-biden Administrator Lee Zeldin Finds Gold Bars from EPA at Stacey Abrams’ Connected Group, Biden-Harris Ethical Red Flags] (February 21, 2025) ''United States Environmental Protection Agency''.</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.epa.gov/ Their website] — post-[[Donald Trump|Trump]] [[censorship]]
*[https://www.epa.govwayback.com/ Their website] — pre-Trump censorship

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Environmentalism]]
[[Category:United States government]]

{{stub|Government}}

Categories: Environmentalism, United States government