In the meantime, of course, Zeldin has been enthusiastically undertaking a deregulatory assault, removing scientific expertise, and more. And now, the mask may be slipping entirely: according to reporting from CNN which they say comes from multiple sources, EPA officials in the midwest have apparently told “stunned” staff to literally stop enforcing violations against fossil fuel companies. Well then!
This is, as yet, not confirmed by any other outlets, nor from Splinter’s sources inside EPA, but it also does not seem all that unlikely. Reuters, who also could not confirm, did get a fairly classic non-denial-denial from an agency spokesperson, who called CNN’s story a “fake news narrative” while adding: “While the last administration targeted the oil and gas industry and crippled the American worker to serve their climate zealotry, the Trump EPA’s enforcement work is firmly rooted in the rule of law.” Okay, so… EPA is doing the opposite of what the Biden administration did, which was “target” oil and gas companies for regulatory violations… which would be… not targeting oil and gas companies for regulatory violations?
Simply put, an administration with oil and gas greasing the walls and floors of the West Wing would do something like this. Zeldin is fresh off announcing a proposed reversal of power plant emissions rules, an obvious giveaway to fossil fuel and utility companies that ignores mountains of basic math and public health evidence. It is a logical conclusion, really, that this particular Environmental Protection Agency would simply stop Protecting the Environment. Some day they might make it official.
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