Trump's latest plan to undo the ‘holy grail' of climate rules: Never mind the science
The move, combined with the Trump administration's planned effort to ditch vehicle tailpipe pollution rules governing transportation and its proposal to end U.S. power plant emissions limits, would deliver a major blow to the U.S. effort to halt global temperature rise. The United States has contributed more than any other nation to the 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming that the world has experienced since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and it is currently the second-largest polluter, behind China.
While EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has been the public face for eradicating what he has called 'the holy grail of the climate change religion,' he is far from alone in drafting the proposal that would fulfill a years-long quest by conservatives to undo climate rules they argue raise costs for consumers, constrain fossil fuel-driven electricity and punish automakers and other manufacturers.
The Office of Management and Budget has taken a leading role in the process, according to Myron Ebell, who led Trump's first EPA transition team, and two people familiar with the discussions.
The Justice Department has also helped shape the draft, which relies on a legal rather than scientific rationale to topple the endangerment finding, according to the two people as well as another individual granted anonymity to discuss the draft rule.
Going the legal route to end the endangerment finding will come amid fresh headwinds. The United Nations International Court of Justice on Wednesday ruled that climate change poses an 'urgent and existential threat' — a non-binding opinion that will likely factor into court cases around the world. The court said countries must cooperate to keep temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels, adding that failing to do so could violate international law. The court also said that leaving the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which Trump has said the U.S. will exit, does not excuse countries from their obligations to curb warming.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
New aerial footage captures ‘Alligator Alcatraz' from above
New aerial footage is showing another view of the high-security immigration detention center in Florida's Everglades coined "Alligator Alcatraz." Under Gov. Ron DeSantis' directive, the facility opened on an airstrip earlier this month for thousands of undocumented immigrants while also serving as a "transitional shelter for migrants." The tent city was set up at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport located around 45 miles west of Miami and is only accessible through a two-lane highway, Reuters reported. Video shows the facility filled with rows of white tents, RVs and portable buildings all surrounded by a vast wetland. Officials have described the center as "escape-proof" due to its terrain. The Everglades is home to alligators, crocodiles, various snakes and the Florida panther, according the National Park Service. Florida's Division of Emergency Management oversees the site in coordination with federal agencies including ICE, Reuters reported. The state estimates the facility would cost more than $450 million annually to operate. See new angle of Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility Trump says its 'might be as good as the real Alcatraz' After touring the facility on July 1, President Donald Trump praised Florida officials for picking the isolated wilderness spot, adding "I think it's great government what we've done." "They did this in less than a week," Trump said, according to Reuters. "You look at it and it's incredible. … It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. Well, that's a spooky one, too. That's a tough site." Trump added that the center is "not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon" and that "the only way out is really deportation." The new facility comes as immigration advocates continue to express concerns over capacity at state and national detention centers amid Trump Administration's increased pace of immigrant apprehensions and removals from the United States. Critics have condemned the new detention facility for holding people without a criminal record and for conditions inside. The New York Times reported earlier this month that only about 60% of the detainees have criminal convictions and that 900 men are sleeping in tents. Others have voiced concerns over the facility's impact over the Everglade's itself, home to 36 threatened or endangered species, according to the National Park Service. Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY and Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post
New York Post
10 minutes ago
- New York Post
Venezuelan Little League team denied travel visas to US for World Series
A Little League baseball team from Venezuela has been denied visas into the US, leaving them unable to play in the Senior League World Series in South Carolina, officials said Friday. Little League International announced in a statement that the Cacique Mara team couldn't 'obtain the appropriate visas' to head the tournament after first traveling to Colombia two weeks ago. The team, which hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was expecting to participate in the Senior League World Series in Easley after winning the Latin American Little League championship in Mexico on June 16. Advertisement 3 Players from the Bronx and Curcao meet at the pitching mound together after the game at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, in 2001. New York Post Senior League Baseball celebrated the Venezuelan victory, writing in a social media post, 'See you all in 40 days for the first pitch!' Now, Cacique Mara has lambasted Little League officials following the disappointing announcement and their failure to secure passage to the States. Advertisement 'It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogota with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship,' a statement from the team read. 'What do we do with such injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?' It is not immediately clear the reason the team was denied travel visas. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently met with opposition leaders in Venezuela who oppose current President Nicolas Maduro, who the former Florida senator has called 'illegitimate.' Advertisement 3 Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently met with opposition leaders to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. REUTERS Little League International announced that the team from Venezuela will be replaced by the second place Latin American team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League from Victoria, Mexico. The Trump administration issued partial travel bans on seven countries including Venezuela earlier this month — tacking on full bans for 12 other countries — citing national security concerns. 'We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe,' President Trump said in a video posted to X on June 4. Advertisement Cuba, which appears on the new travel restrictions list, has previously fielded teams in the Little League World Series and used to have its own dedicated region in the international baseball organization. 3 President Trump announced new travel restrictions on over a dozen countries earlier this month. / MEGA No team from Cuba qualified for the Senior or Little World Series tournament this year. The Senior League World Series will be played from July 26 through August 2. The US State Department did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
The Hill
10 minutes ago
- The Hill
6 in 10 voters view Democrats negatively: WSJ poll
The Democratic Party is viewed negatively by 63 percent of American voters — the lowest approval rating of the party in more than 30 years of The Wall Street Journal's surveys — according to a new poll from the newspaper. The survey found that while voters disapproved of President Trump's handling of a variety of issues, they generally said they trusted Republicans more than Democrats to take care of those issues in Congress. On tariffs, for instance, voters disapproved of Trump's policies by 17 percentage points, but trusted Republican lawmakers more than Democrats on the issue by seven points. Only 8 percent of voters viewed Democrats 'very favorably' in the poll. President Trump himself had an approval rating of 46 percent. The Wall Street Journal poll follows a survey from CNN released Thursday which found that just 28 percent of voters viewed the Democrats favorably. Democrats are confronting widespread voter malaise and perceptions that the party is listless ahead of the 2026 midterms as key parts of the party's national infrastructure have been rocked by infighting. Still, they are seeking to capitalize on Trump's more unpopular policies. They hope the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill,' with tax cuts favoring the wealthy alongside significant cuts to Medicaid and other social services, could galvanize voters. A slight majority — 52 percent — of voters in Friday's Journal poll disapproved of the bill. The ongoing controversy over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a flashpoint for MAGA voters that Democrats have sought to exploit — may also come into play as members of Congress head home for the August recess. The Journal's poll found that voters were highly skeptical that the Justice Department had thoroughly investigated the issue, with 65 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of Republicans saying they had 'no confidence' in the department's review. The poll of 1,500 registered voters was conducted between July 16 and July 20 with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. It was conducted by Democratic pollster John Anzalone and GOP strategist Tony Fabrizio.
