During the time of COVID-19, many things are falling by the wayside. Cherished events like the Boston Marathon and the Olympics are being postponed. Other events like college graduations are being moved online. Our daily routines have been disrupted, and we’re left with a looming sense that there is no ‘normal’ anymore. But while many of us are stuck quarantining at home, the Trump administration is going full speed ahead in dismantling important environmental protective measures.

In late March, the Trump administration stalled regulations that require companies to meet environmental standards and report water and air pollution. While the EPA cites that this is a temporary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Natural Resource Defense Council CEO Gina McCarthy calls it “an open license to pollute.” During this unspecified amount of time, factories can do their own monitoring, compliance, and reporting, while the EPA will not issue any fines for violations. 

At the same time, the administration also issued the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule. It significantly lowers emission standards for vehicles manufactured from 2021 to 2026. Previously, the Obama administration required a 5% decrease annually. This new rule requires a drop of only 1.5% annually, which will set the United States back in our fight against climate change and cause severe health issues along the way. The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that the new rule will result in 18,500 premature deaths, 250,000 more asthma attacks, 350,000 other respiratory ailments, one million lost workdays,  and $190 billion in health costs by 2050. In the next 20 years alone, these standards will allow an additional 1.5 billion metric tons of air pollution, which is equivalent to operating 68 new coal plants for five years. During a time where many are developing progressive solutions to the climate crisis, this is a step backwards.

These regulatory rollbacks are occurring alongside an unprecedented collapse of the U.S. oil industry. Due to a lack of demand, oil prices have not only fallen, they even went negative in April – companies paid buyers to take their oil. While this may seem like a perfect time to invest in the renewable energy sector, President Trump is promising some form of financial aid to the oil companies. Though nothing is set in stone, last week Trump tweeted his intentions to support the industry

President Trump’s tweet about supporting the oil industry

It may feel like the administration is sneaking these deregulations through during the chaos of a global pandemic, but it should not be surprising. They are merely advancing an anti-environmental agenda that Trump has embraced since day one. The changes have been so plentiful that multiple organizations are keeping running list of environmental rule changes since he entered office. And he’s not exactly receptive to public feedback. In the past four years Americans have taken to the streets, demanding climate action and submitted millions of comments regarding proposed changes, but none of that has not swayed the administration. The most effective  opposition against comes from the states and the courts. Just last week, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s decision not to regulate groundwater under the Clean Water Act.

So what does this mean for the coming months? Trump will likely continue to weaken environmental standards. With social distancing measures in place, we cannot gather in the streets in protest. And while there is much value in marches, rallies, and sit-ins, there are other effective avenues of resistance. We can still contact our representatives and support organizations that are fighting legal battles against the administration. We can also vote for politicians with pro-environment platforms. And most importantly, we can prepare. After the pandemic passes and lockdowns are over, the climate crisis will still be raging on. We must be ready to recommit ourselves to fighting for the planet with more urgency than ever before.