Category: Environment

Trump EPA Weakens Mercury Rules for Coal Plants

The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to weaken mercury emission restrictions for coal-fired power plants, according to reporting on February 18, 2026. Senior EPA officials under Administrator Lee Zeldin were expected to announce the loosening of hazardous pollutant limits during a trip to Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, with the agency arguing the change would reduce costs for utility companies.

The EPA has already exempted 47 coal companies from mercury and air toxics regulations for two years and proposed repealing Biden-era rules limiting carbon dioxide, mercury, and other air pollutant emissions from power plants. The agency estimates the new restrictions would save companies as much as $670 million between 2028 and 2037, according to internal documents reviewed by the New York Times.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin capable of impairing fetal brain development, and the rollback directly contradicts established science on public health harm. Trump declared an “energy emergency” to justify keeping aging coal plants operating and exempting them from critical air regulations, prioritizing coal industry interests over documented environmental and health protections established under previous administrations.

The administration has simultaneously dismantled renewable energy support by removing tax incentives for wind and solar projects and slow-walking permits for renewable energy development on federal, private, and state lands. This pattern reflects Trump’s stated goal of fast-tracking energy infrastructure to support artificial intelligence and data center demands while blocking clean energy alternatives.

The move represents a continuation of the administration’s broader effort to provide industrial polluters exemptions from emissions requirements for toxic chemicals, with the EPA establishing mechanisms for coal plants to request presidential waivers under the Clean Air Act framework.

(Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-epa-plans-loosen-mercury-rules-coal-plants-this-week-nyt-reports-2026-02-18/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69961ca43819fb000132f3a1&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleAQEH7ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeZ3nczEhi-kfTKzmV6XIetkq0fohVtl24MPu_UKmzDZqrMolGRNSoeJuN4m8_aem_h-nG89BQRW3OU4xHJKQnpA)

Trump Admin Removes NCAR Supercomputers, Dismantles Weather

The Trump administration is dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, a leading American weather and climate research institution, by removing its supercomputing facility according to a National Science Foundation letter released Thursday. The administration characterizes NCAR as a source of “climate change alarmism” and plans to transfer the supercomputer to an unspecified third party, disrupting access for approximately 1,500 researchers from over 500 universities who depend on the facility for weather forecasting models, climate simulations, and extreme weather prediction research.

The supercomputing center’s separation from NCAR threatens critical infrastructure that directly serves the American public through more accurate weather forecasts and climate event predictions used in daily weather applications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently selected a weather modeling system developed by NCAR researchers and relies on the supercomputing facility to operate its current models, making the facility essential to national weather forecasting capabilities.

NCAR director Everette Joseph acknowledged in a staff letter that the center lacks clarity on the transition timeline or the identity of the managing entity, stating “We do not yet know who the new managing entity will be nor do we know the timeline for this transition.” The NSF has requested proposals for reorganizing NCAR and national weather research infrastructure, notably omitting climate research from its mention of continuing programs while indicating support for weather-related work.

Colorado officials, including Democratic Governor Jared Polis, view the dismantling as retribution targeting the state to pressure clemency for Tina Peters, a former county election clerk convicted in a 2020 election-related data breach scheme and prominent election denier. Former NCAR director James Hurrell and prominent atmospheric scientists have warned NSF that fragmenting or dismantling NCAR contradicts national interests and could undermine NOAA’s efforts to improve weather modeling capabilities that lag international competitors.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/weather/trump-colorado-lab-ncar-supercomputer-climate?fbclid=IwdGRleAQB3sZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeB6HO7iqiW0l93wkU2pdoFbFYU71nTPeuDRUryMCYA5dlIL1su5RbInEfngw_aem_NInVf6P89PWWZQxvhGK8pA)

Trump Erases EPA Climate Endangerment Finding, Kills Greenhouse Gas Rules

President Trump announced the elimination of the federal government’s scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, a move that strips the EPA of its legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases. Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax,” rejected decades of peer-reviewed research and the scientific consensus accepted by presidents of both parties since Richard Nixon, whose advisers warned of climate dangers in the 1970s, and George H.W. Bush, who signed an international climate treaty.

The action directly accelerates the transition away from pollution controls on fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources like solar and wind. By terminating what Trump called the “disastrous Obama-era policy,” the administration eliminated the regulatory framework that had allowed the federal government to impose limits on the emissions driving heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and other extreme weather events documented by climate scientists.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stood alongside Trump at the White House announcement, visibly approving of the decision Trump described as “about as big as it gets.” The move represents the culmination of a yearslong campaign by conservative activists and fossil fuel industry interests—including oil, gas, and coal companies—to block the nation’s shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources.

This decision dismantles protections that had been grounded in scientific fact for decades. By erasing the endangerment finding, Trump’s administration declared that the overwhelming majority of scientists worldwide are incorrect about the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and planetary warming, contradicting a body of evidence that has informed climate policy across multiple presidential administrations.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html)

Trump Orders Pentagon to Purchase Coal Power

President Trump issued an executive order directing the Pentagon to increase purchases of coal-generated electricity, effectively using the Department of Defense budget to subsidize a declining fossil fuel industry. The order represents a direct intervention into energy markets to artificially prop up coal production, which has failed to remain competitive against cheaper and cleaner alternatives.

Coal generation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, yet Trump continues to promote it as economically and environmentally sound. His administration has pursued fossil fuel favoritism through exclusive assistance to oil and coal companies, while simultaneously blocking renewable energy projects, demonstrating deliberate prioritization of polluting industries over clean energy development.

This Pentagon directive exemplifies Trump’s pattern of weaponizing federal agencies to advance personal ideology and financial interests aligned with fossil fuel donors. The order compels military spending to serve as a subsidy mechanism for an uncompetitive industry rather than optimizing defense procurement based on cost or operational efficiency.

Trump has repeatedly made false claims about coal being “clean and beautiful,” contradicting established scientific consensus on coal’s environmental harm. The administration is simultaneously pushing looser pollution rules and increased coal funding, while the EPA delays Biden-era pollution standards that would otherwise protect waterways and air quality.

The executive order redirects taxpayer dollars from military readiness and innovation into sustaining a dying industry, subordinating national defense priorities to fossil fuel industry profits. This diversion of Pentagon resources demonstrates how Trump’s administration systematically bends federal power toward enriching allied industries regardless of economic rationality or public health consequences.

(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/11/trump-coal-pentagon-order/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawP698xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEersty_fFS5HGzkHTkEM7ZQSoTKMW1nx6KGJ_yNjB0KB40S39AeTAEN5P90rM_aem_oqWqjPN1L0uzL5J7-4JNaQ)

Trump EPA Drops Human Life Valuation in Pollution Rules

The Environmental Protection Agency, under the leadership of Lee Zeldin—a Trump appointee—discontinued the practice of assigning monetary value to human lives when establishing air pollution limits. Previously, the EPA calculated rule benefits by estimating lives saved and assigning each a dollar value through the “value of a statistical life” metric. This shift eliminates a critical method for justifying public health protections against deadly air pollutants.

The policy change, implemented last week, prioritizes only the financial costs borne by corporations in the regulatory calculus. By removing human life valuation from the equation, the EPA effectively abandons a standard tool for weighing public health gains against industry expenses. This decision reflects the Trump administration’s broader strategy to prioritize corporate interests over environmental protections.

Zeldin’s EPA has accelerated workforce reductions that undermined environmental protections while simultaneously rolling back emissions regulations. The agency now grants exemptions to industrial polluters from emissions requirements for toxic chemicals like mercury and arsenic.

Eliminating life valuation from air quality policy removes a quantifiable justification for protecting Americans from pollution-related illness and death. The change allows the Trump administration to justify weaker pollution standards by treating human mortality as economically irrelevant when it conflicts with corporate profit margins.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/former-congressman-lee-zeldin-confronted-210720414.html)

UNFCCC: Trump moves to pull US out of bedrock global climate treaty, becoming first country to do so

President Trump’s administration announced the withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a foundational treaty that Congress ratified in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush. If executed, this action would make the United States the first country to exit the agreement, which nearly every nation globally has joined. The UNFCCC established the framework for international climate negotiations, including the 1995 Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement, and requires participating nations to submit annual climate pollution inventories—a requirement the Trump administration already skipped this year.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the withdrawal by stating the administration will not continue “expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimizing weight of our participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests.” The move is part of a broader executive order directing withdrawal from 66 international organizations deemed to no longer serve American interests, including 31 UN entities such as UN Water, UN Oceans, UN Population Fund, and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Former Secretary of State and US climate envoy John Kerry condemned the decision as “a gift to China and a get out of jail free card to countries and polluters who want to avoid responsibility.” The withdrawal follows Trump’s second pullout from the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, demonstrating a pattern of rejecting climate commitments. The Trump administration also moved to withdraw from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a Nobel Prize-winning scientific body that publishes global warming assessments, potentially restricting federal scientists’ participation in IPCC reports.

The legality of Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the UNFCCC remains uncertain, as the Senate ratified the treaty in 1992, creating ambiguity over whether presidential authority extends to exiting congressionally approved agreements without legislative consent. Republican majorities in Congress would likely support the withdrawal if required to formally approve it. Withdrawal would exclude the United States from participating in subsequent annual UN climate summits and jeopardize the country’s ability to rejoin the Paris Agreement, which operates under UNFCCC authority.

The withdrawal threatens to destabilize international climate cooperation and may prompt other nations to reconsider their own UNFCCC commitments, undermining global progress on climate action. A US withdrawal would isolate America from allied nations for whom climate action is a priority and signals abandonment of decades-long international environmental partnerships at a critical moment for addressing climate change.

(Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/07/climate/trump-withdrawal-climate-treaty-international-agreements)

Trump Posts Photo of Dead Falcon in Israel and Says, ‘Windmills Are Killing All of Our Beautiful Bald Eagles!’

President Donald Trump posted a photograph on Tuesday claiming windmills kill bald eagles, but the image actually depicts a falcon from Israel, not an American bald eagle. Google Lens traced the dead bird photo to Israeli news sources Haaretz (2017) and The Times of Israel (2019), both crediting the Israel Nature and Parks Authority; Haaretz identified it as a falcon, while The Times of Israel specified a kestrel.

Trump’s opposition to wind turbines dates to at least 2012, when he testified against their installation near his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. After 11 turbines were eventually built, Trump denounced them as “some of the ugliest you’ve ever seen.” He has made baseless claims that windmills cause cancer, stating in 2019 that “the noise causes cancer,” and in July called them “a disgrace,” claiming they are inefficient and the most expensive energy source.

Trump’s assertion that windmills kill bald eagles contradicts factual record and mirrors his broader pattern of making demonstrably false claims about wind power, including allegations they damage the ozone layer. His long-standing vendetta against wind energy appears rooted in personal business interests rather than environmental or wildlife conservation concerns.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-posts-photo-dead-falcon-005211969.html)

Trump Tells Child Coal Is “Clean” Who Said She Doesn’t Want Coal for XMas

During a Christmas Eve call with children across the country coordinated through NORAD, Trump contested a Kansas girl’s preference against receiving coal as a gift. When the child, Amelia, stated she did not want coal, Trump interjected to promote “clean, beautiful coal,” a false claim he has repeated since his first term despite the absence of coal technology that burns without environmental harm.

Trump told Amelia that “coal is clean and beautiful, please remember that at all costs,” despite scientific consensus establishing that coal combustion produces significant greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The exchange occurred as part of Trump’s broader effort to normalize coal as a viable energy source, contradicting established environmental science and public health data on fossil fuel impacts.

The interaction reflects Trump’s pattern of using high-profile moments to promote discredited environmental claims. His assertion about “clean coal” technology has been central to his energy messaging despite the absence of commercially viable processes that eliminate coal’s documented environmental and health consequences.

During the same call session, Trump also told a Pennsylvania boy that the state was “great” and claimed he won it “three times,” though Trump won Pennsylvania in only two of the three general elections from 2016 to 2024. The inaccuracy reflects Trump’s tendency to distort electoral history when addressing audiences, including children.

The Christmas Eve calls continued Trump’s established practice of using holiday traditions for political messaging. In 2018, Trump famously questioned a seven-year-old about believing in Santa, demonstrating his discomfort with boundaries between political promotion and children’s holiday experiences.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-rebuts-child-who-said-she-doesnt-want-coal-for-christmas-coal-is-clean-and-beautiful-please-remember-that/)

National Park Service Adds Trump’s Birthday as Fee-Free Day

The National Park Service (NPS) has eliminated Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day as fee-free admission days, instead designating President Donald Trump’s birthday as a new fee-free day. This change affects over 11 sites managed by the NPS in Georgia, such as the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain.

In addition to Trump’s birthday, other new dates for free admission in 2026 include Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day weekend, and special birthdays for the NPS and Theodore Roosevelt. Significant previously designated fee-free days like National Public Lands Day and anniversaries related to the Great American Outdoors Act have also been removed from the list.

Alongside these changes, nonresidents will face a new fee structure, including a $100 charge for each individual aged 16 and older, alongside standard entrance fees at several parks, though this does not apply to locations in Georgia. The directive has garnered criticism, emphasizing a shift in the NPS’s approach to commemorating important historical milestones and promoting inclusivity.

This decision, particularly the elevation of a controversial figure’s birthday while sidelining civil rights milestones, has sparked backlash from various communities advocating for the equitable representation of all Americans in national spaces.

(Source: https://www.wabe.org/national-park-service-removes-juneteenth-mlk-day-as-fee-free-days-adds-trumps-birthday/)

Trump to Roll Back Fuel Economy Standards, Threatening Environment

President Donald Trump is preparing to announce a substantial rollback of national fuel economy standards this Wednesday at the White House, aiming to weaken the environmentally-focused regulations established during President Joe Biden’s administration. The proposed changes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) include lowering the fuel-efficiency requirements for vehicles slated for 2022 to 2031, a move that contradicts efforts to lower emissions and reduce gasoline consumption.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously ordered NHTSA to rescind Biden-era standards and ceased penalties for automakers that fail to meet fuel economy targets. This rollback is positioned as a strategy to alleviate production costs for companies, such as Ford and General Motors, while simultaneously reversing a 64 billion gallon fuel consumption reduction that was projected under the previous rules.

Critics note that Trump’s changes undermine essential climate policies and public health measures. The previous fuel-efficiency standards were estimated to deliver net benefits of $35.2 billion for drivers and substantially curtail emissions, raising serious ethical concerns over environmental degradation as the administration pivots toward fossil fuel interests, evidenced by other deregulatory actions involving electric vehicle tax credits and state authority over emissions.

With the rollback, officials indicate the new regulations will likely lead to a decrease in the price of new vehicles, potentially saving consumers as much as $1,000. However, the long-term consequences include heightened carbon emissions and a failure to meet climate goals, raising alarm among environmental advocates and countering global progress on reducing fossil fuel reliance.

This rollback signifies a broader trend within the Trump administration to prioritize corporate interests over environmental protections, despite ongoing warnings from experts about the dire implications of climate inaction.

(Source: https://ground.news/article/trump-administration-to-propose-significant-rollback-in-fuel-economy-standards-report)

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