Trump’s first year: 8 ways he prioritized polluters over people (number 7 will SHOCK you!)

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to slash energy prices in half in 12 months. Instead, in Trump’s first year energy prices jumped 13%. The administration has actually slashed: clean energy projects, dozens of protections for our air, water, and climate, and the health and safety of our communities.

Why? It’s all to benefit Trump’s polluter allies.

Here are the top eight ways Trump and congressional Republicans have prioritized polluter profits over people in the first year of his second term.

1. Forced dirty, expensive coal plants to remain open

In Trump’s first year, he forced coal-burning units at five outdated, polluting, expensive coal plants to stay open. Each of these coal-burning units were scheduled for retirement because they are decades old. Instead the Trump administration forced them to stay open under the guise of Trump’s sham “energy emergency” declaration.

Because coal is so expensive and these plants are aging and unreliable, forcing coal plants to remain open comes at a huge cost to energy customers. An analysis from Grid Strategies found that keeping these coal units running, as well as others scheduled for retirement, will cost consumers up to $6 billion a year through 2028.

Burning coal also releases more pollution than any other energy source, contributing to worse public health and extreme weather.

The coal units Trump has forced to stay open are:

1. J.H. Campbell in Michigan
2. Centralia in Washington
3. Craig 1 in Colorado
4. M. Schahfer in Indiana
5. B. Culley in Indiana

2. Blocked the ongoing construction of offshore wind projects (multiple times!)

Despite the benefits of offshore wind for our health, energy bills, and the environment, Trump is not a fan. During his first year back in office, Trump has issued a series of executive orders – at least one of which courts have struck down as illegal – aimed at destroying the offshore wind industry.

Shutting down offshore wind will result in higher energy bills, lost jobs, and more climate pollution. The uncertainty that Trump has created within the industry has also disincentivized companies from pursuing offshore wind projects, which have the potential to provide clean, affordable energy to millions of homes and businesses.

3. Gutted solar energy programs and blocked solar projects (sensing a trend yet?!)

As energy demand skyrockets thanks to the rise of data centers, we need to increase energy supply. Solar is the cheapest and fastest form of energy to get on the grid. Once online, solar energy can help drastically lower both energy costs and climate emissions. And when paired with batteries, solar can provide power around the clock.

But, more solar means less money for Trump’s Big Oil and Gas buddies, so he’s launched an assault on solar energy.

Trump and congressional Republicans’ major attacks on solar energy include:

• Axing programs to bring clean, cheap solar energy to communities that would benefit the most: Over the summer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would scrap over $7 billion in Solar for All grants, illegally reversing spending decisions made by Congress. The Solar for All program intended to make the cost and environmental benefits of solar energy accessible for more people. The program would have benefitted renters and those living in low-income communities and communities of color.
• Shutting down a project to supercharge Nevada’s energy supply with solar: The Trump administration cancelled a solar megaproject in the Nevada desert. The installation would have installed a whopping 6.2 gigawatts of solar and 5.2 gigawatts of battery capacity in the Nevada desert.
• Cancelling tax credits for solar projects: Trump signed an executive order limiting solar projects’ eligibility for tax credits. These tax credits were already slashed by the Big Ugly Bill.

4. Rolled back money-saving energy and vehicle efficiency standards

During Trump’s first year back in office, he launched a government-wide effort to make life easier for polluters and industry, and harder and more expensive for the rest of us. Just as our energy bills are skyrocketing, Trump is targeting energy and vehicle efficiency standards that help save people money on their utility bills and at the gas pump.

Energy efficiency rollbacks

• Gutting money-saving household appliance standards: Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) proposed to reduce or completely get rid of dozens of energy efficiency standards for a variety of household appliances. These rollbacks will result in customers paying an additional $43 billion in utility bills. Congressional Republicans and Trump passed a suite of bills to similarly gut appliance efficiency standards that save consumers hundreds of dollars a year.
• Eliminating incentives to help people lower their energy use: Trump and congressional Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill eliminated incentives and programs to help homeowners, homebuilders, and businesses reduce their energy use and save lots of money.

Vehicle efficiency rollbacks

• Blocking cleaner air in California: Over the summer, Trump blocked California from implementing their nation-leading clean car standards. California faces some of the worst air pollution in the country, and these rules were helping cut that pollution.
• Rolling back gas- and cost-saving car and truck standards: The administration is also in the process of eliminating standards for vehicle fuel efficiency. This will mean spending more at the gas pump to fill up more often.

5. Eliminated environmental justice programs

Throughout Trump’s first year, he and his extreme allies in Congress have attacked environmental justice programs and investments. These programs help protect rural and urban frontline communities from the impacts of climate change and fossil fuel pollution. But Trump has clawed back virtually all federal funding for these programs. This gives polluters free rein to continue to pollute these communities that already experience high levels of pollution. It is also a blatant attack from the administration on the idea that everyone has a basic right to clean air and clean water.

In its first year, the Trump administration has:

• Shut down federal environmental justice offices: Dismantled the Environmental Justice and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices at EPA.
• Halted programs to protect communities from extreme weather: Cancelled 400 grants worth $1.7 billion that would help communities prepare for extreme weather events and improve air and water quality.
• Scrapped efforts to protect communities from polluting corporate projects: Withdrawn guidance for considering environmental justice impacts in the environmental review process.
• Gutted local clean energy in local communities across the country: Cancelled $20 billion in grants that support local clean energy development and reduce air pollution.

6. Sold off more of our public lands and waters for oil and gas drilling, logging, and mining

Protecting national parks and public lands is wildly popular and widely supported. However, this administration has consistently undermined protections for our nation’s most treasured spaces. This has included opening up vast swaths of previously protected lands for oil and gas drilling, toxic mining, and massive logging operations.

• Opening the Arctic to drilling: The Department of the Interior (DOI) repealed protections for 13 million acres in Alaska to allow oil and gas drilling. This is an attack on the environment and Native Alaskans communities.
• Leasing out our public lands and waters: Trump and congressional Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill required even more oil and gas drilling lease sales on our public lands and offshore our coasts, threatening hundreds of millions of acres.
• Shutting out local communities while inviting in foreign companies: Trump’s Bureau of Land Management has been handing over more of our public lands to toxic mining, primarily for the benefit of foreign corporations. They’re also shutting out local communities and the broader public by not allowing public comment.
• Opening our forests for more construction: The Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture is trying to eliminate the Roadless Rule. These longstanding and popular protections for national forests are critical for wildlife, Indigenous traditions, climate resilience, wildfire mitigation, and recreation.

7. Set the value of human life to $0 to lower costs for polluters

EPA announced it will ignore the monetary value of human lives saved, heart attacks and strokes prevented, asthma averted, and other health effects when setting air pollution limits. While most of us would say a human life is priceless, this gaslighting announcement says the value of human life is $0.

For decades, the EPA has used the human health benefits, including fewer asthma attacks, missed work and school days, and premature deaths, to support pollution limits. Ignoring the human cost of pollution will let EPA loosen restrictions and allow polluters to dump more pollution into our air and water, all to lower their operating costs while looking like it costs the public nothing. In reality, the public will suffer the costs of billions of dollars worth of premature death, disease, and disability.

This change directly contradicts EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment. It will mean dirtier air and water and worsening health and costs for all of us, just to benefit Big Polluters.

8. Allowed polluters to dirty our waters

Clean water was also on the chopping block during Trump’s first year. The administration has limited the authority of the Clean Water Act, a 1972 law limiting water pollution that’s widely credited for greatly improving water quality. Rolling back Clean Water Act protections is a giveaway to polluters. It will allow them to dump more pollutants into our waterways, including sources of drinking water, wreaking havoc on our environment and public health.

Over the past year, the Trump administration has:

• Stripped our waters of protections: EPA has attempted to restrict which bodies of water are protected by the Clean Water Act. Their proposal would strip 90% of wetlands of protections.
• Limited states and Tribes’ ability to protect their own water: EPA is trying to limit states and Tribes’ authority to veto damaging pipelines and other major projects. These projects could result in more pollution in their water and harm to their communities. House Republicans have advanced similar bills curtailing states’ rights for the benefit of Big Polluters who bankroll their campaigns.

What’s next?

Trump’s first year has made his priorities clear. He will do whatever it takes to increase profits for his Big Polluter allies, at the expense of our health, utility bills, and the environment.

But we aren’t letting him get away with it. Advocates across the country, including new Governors Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, are standing up to the Trump administration’s policies and fighting for people, not polluters.

We can’t win this fight without you. Act now to tell Trump and congressional Republicans to stop increasing our costs and stand strong for climate!