A sweeping new executive order from President Trump would force federal agencies to eliminate key environmental regulations unless they’re reapproved annually, a move legal scholars say is likely unlawful and could endanger public health.
Kiley Bense reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- President Trump’s April 9 executive order requires federal agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to add one-year expiration clauses to regulations on energy and environment, unless explicitly extended.
- Legal experts argue the directive violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which mandates a transparent and evidence-based process for enacting or repealing regulations.
- The order may reflect billionaire Elon Musk’s zero-based budgeting approach but experts warn it undermines decades of environmental protections and could lead to chaotic deregulation.
Key quote:
“It makes no sense. It is impossible to implement. It reflects a complete lack of understanding of how government works.”
— Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program
Why this matters:
Environmental regulations are the framework that keeps air breathable, water drinkable, and communities safe from toxic pollution. Many of these rules were put in place after painful lessons: burning rivers, poisoned water supplies, asthma and cancer increases in industrial corridors. The Trump administration’s attempt to impose arbitrary expiration dates on regulations, regardless of their scientific or legal grounding, could create massive gaps in oversight just as climate-driven disasters, fossil fuel expansion, and environmental injustices intensify.
Related: EPA’s direction under Trump draws criticism from former agency head
