A New York Times article (2017-10-05) summarized 48 environmental rules that have been overturned or are in the process of being rolled back by the administration of President Donald Trump. Some of these rule changes directly affect county governments. Besides a more detailed description of each rule, the article provides a useful chart summarizing the changes:
24 Rules Have Been Overturned
- Flood building standards
- Ban on chlorpyrifos, a potentially harmful pesticide
- Freeze on new coal leases on public lands
- Methane reporting requirement
- Anti-dumping rule for coal companies
- Decision on Keystone XL pipeline
- Decision on Dakota Access pipeline
- Third-party settlement funds
- Offshore drilling ban in the Atlantic and Arctic
- Ban on seismic air gun testing in the Atlantic
- Northern Bering Sea climate resilience plan
- Royalty regulations for oil, gas and coal
- Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental reviews
- Permit-issuing process for new infrastructure projects
- Green Climate Fund contributions
- Mining restrictions in Bristol Bay, Alaska
- Grizzly bear listing as endangered species
- Hunting ban on wolves and grizzly bears in Alaska
- Protection of whales and sea turtles
- Reusable water bottles rule for national parks
- National parks climate order
- Calculation for “social cost” of carbon
- Planning rule for public lands
- Copper filter cake listing as hazardous waste
17 Rollbacks Are In Progress
- Clean Power Plan
- Paris climate agreement
- Wetland and tributary protections
- Car and truck fuel-efficiency standards
- Status of 10 national monuments
- Status of 12 marine areas
- Limits on toxic discharge from power plants
- Coal ash discharge regulations
- Emissions standards for new, modified and reconstructed power plants
- Emissions rules for power plant start-up and shutdown
- Sage grouse habitat protections
- Fracking regulations on public lands
- Oil rig safety regulations
- Regulations for offshore oil and gas exploration by floating vessels
- Exploratory drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge
- Hunting method regulations in Alaska
- Emissions standards for trailers and glider kits
7 Rollbacks Are In Limbo
- Methane emission limits at new oil and gas wells
- Limits on landfill emissions
- Mercury emission limits for power plants
- Hazardous chemical facility regulations
- Groundwater protections for uranium mines
- Efficiency standards for federal buildings
- Rule helping consumers buy fuel-efficient tires
The chart above reflects three types of policy changes: rules that have been officially reversed; announcements and changes still in progress, pending reviews and other rulemaking procedures; and regulations whose status is unclear because of delays or court actions.
The article also described five other rules that were reinstated after legal challenges. The article’s chart does not include new rules proposed by the Trump administration or court actions that have changed how rules are enforced.
