“Drill, Baby, Drill!”: The Environmental Protection Agency Under the Trump Administration

When the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969 due to industrial pollutants accumulating on its surface, it sparked national attention to a fundamental flaw in US governance — a failure to enforce regulations to protect the American people and their environment. As a result, President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the primary mission of ensuring that American citizens had access to clean water, safe air quality, and protected natural resources. In a 1970 address, Nixon called to prioritize undoing decades of environmental degradation in the US, declaring that:

 “Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. It has become a common cause of all the people of this country [...] Clean air, clean water, open spaces-these should once again be the birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.” 

Fueling the “Great American Comeback”

Building on this foundation, the EPA has become a leading actor for upholding environmental policy and enforcing climate legislations such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Energy Policy Act. However, as of July 2025, the Trump administration cut 784.8 million dollars of funding while reducing 23% of the EPA’s workforce. The motive behind the administration's decisions stems largely from a plan to spark a “Great American Comeback” by strengthening the economy and boosting oil, gas, and auto industries through cutting significant funds for environmental justice efforts. In 2025, Trump appointed Lee Zeldin as the new administrator of the EPA who then began the process of igniting the largest deregulatory effort in US history. Zeldin stated that America had experienced “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen” by actively “driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.” For the administrator to publicly draw parallels between scientifically backed climate change and faith-based religion reveals how radically the Trump administration aims to redefine what the EPA represents.

A primary aspect of Trump’s plan to bring upon a “Great American Comeback” stems from his promise to lower the cost of living for American families. As a result, Zeldin criticized the past EPA administration for implementing regulations on carbon emissions and vehicle standards. He argued that this wasted millions of tax dollars during the Biden administration “in the name of climate change” in ways that were “inexcusable, unjustifiable, and illegitimate”. As part of this effort, Zeldin remains committed to undoing regulations, most prominently by proposing a reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and the regulations that rely on that finding.

The 2009 Endangerment Finding

The 2009 Endangerment Finding was issued by the EPA in response to the Supreme Court’s landmark 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. It was established in Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act and identified 6 greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, as pollutants that endanger public health. The finding was approved due to overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is a result of  anthropogenic factors and is especially exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels, large-scale industries, and power plants. This finding played a key role in policies and legislation of the EPA in the years that followed, including stricter monitoring of emissions standards in different industries.  

Even though the Endangerment finding is heavily backed by science, Zeldin claimed that it is outdated and that new technological advancements may prove the finding false or exaggerated. Furthermore, he continues to reinforce that the finding is grounded in ideology instead of fully verifiable facts, arguing that the regulations, not the greenhouse gases themselves, are the real threat to the livelihood of Americans. On July 29, 2025, the EPA proposed rescinding the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which would remove Greenhouse gas regulations for all on-highway vehicles while retainingstandards for other pollutants and fuel economy testing. Because of greenhouse gas restrictions on vehicles, Zeldin argued that this  limited consumer freedom from choosing affordable cars and increased costs for everyday drivers. As part of the effort to minimize the EPA’s scientific capacity, Zeldin has also cut funding for air quality research by 65 percent, reducing the budget from 96 million to only 33 million dollars. However, critics strongly argue that cutting the scientific branch poses an even greater long-term issue of a lack of reliable data to monitor air quality, assess public health risks, and inform future climate and environmental policy.

Accelerating the Oil and Gas Industry

 In accordance with the new economic agenda, the Trump administration is also working towards revitalizing the oil and gas industry, supporting an increase in drilling over a transition into cleaner energy sources. Zeldin claims that as an effort to “unleash American energy”, regulations on oil and gas extraction in addition to wastewater regulations, must be rolled back. Wastewater regulations are particularly significant because they address the treatment and disposal of water produced during drilling operations. Under the Biden administration, leftover treated water was limited for agriculture and wildlife usage and was monitored to prevent public health concerns. However, by undoing a regulation on wastewater usage, the current EPA aims to introduce water as a method to power other industries, including AI data centers, fire control, irrigation, and alternative ecological needs. Although this will ultimately use leftover water to power a broader range of industries, a primary concern arises— if the water expands its ecological scope, there may not be enough scientific workforce to ensure proper prevention of public health concerns.

The Future of Environmental Protection

Even though recent changes have been driven by economic priorities, Zeldin claims that the EPA under the Trump administration will continue to ensure safe environments for the American people. However, according to a report published by World Resources Institute, there have been no new policies to advance climate legislation or work towards cleaner environmental transitions. Instead, the US has stepped away from global climate action by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which strongly suggests that the US will prioritize boosting the economy in contrast to protecting the environment for future generations. As a result, the administration’s policies aim to fundamentally reorient the EPA from a science-based regulatory agency to an economic-growth-oriented agency.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), eliminating climate change legislation will not only endanger US citizens but will also negatively impact the economy in the long term. This is because a lack of effort to mitigate climate change effects could fuel an increase of disasters and long-term environmental damage, resulting in millions of dollars in costs to repair. However, even though drastic changes have already been made, Trump’s plan to roll back several of the EPA’s existing policies will require significant time to implement. In addition, extensive litigation will make the process increasingly complex in an uncertain and ever-changing political landscape.

Image by Robert Yarnall Richie via Wikimedia Commons