There is no question a long list of federal environmental protections and programs will be rolled back, diminished, or dismantled during the next presidential administration. This list potentially includes erasing new drinking water standards for toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals,’ pulling funding intended to help cities and towns across the country replace lead service pipes, scaling back federal protections for wetlands, undermining the EPA’s ability to regulate CO2 as an air pollutant, axing incentives to help homeowners weatherize their homes, curtailing the regulation of hydrofluorocarbons under the AIM Act, and the list goes on.
“Protecting the water we drink, the air we breathe, the places where we swim and fish, our climate—these should not be partisan issues. If these are things we all care about, we’re going to have to fight hard for them,” said Clean Wisconsin President & CEO Mark Redsten.
A new Trump Administration will likely once again prevent the EPA from conducting health research to understand the harms of nitrate pollution in drinking water, end the designation of PFAS as a hazardous substance under CERCLA, and stop the EPA from using real, unbiased science to regulate pesticide uses, further preferencing data coming from the chemical industry itself.
Redsten says Clean Wisconsin’s legal team is ready to join with partners to fight rollbacks of federal water and air pollution rules, but state-level protections are now more important than ever.
“By collaborating with farmers, legislators, and local communities, we must continue to push forward policies and solutions that safeguard Wisconsin’s natural resources, build resilient communities, and promote sustainable agricultural practices,” he said.
Redsten also pointed to Clean Wisconsin’s environmental health research initiative as a critical way to inspire broad-based reform. “By understanding and addressing environmental factors that harm health, we are laying the groundwork for changes that resonate across the political spectrum,” he said.
There have been indications that a new Trump administration would take unprecedented steps to remove civil service protections from federal workers, allowing the administration to punish and replace non-partisan scientists and experts at agencies like the EPA, FDA, and Dept. of Health Services and Human Services simply for doing their jobs and telling the truth.
“We are all going to have to remain vigilant and adaptable, ready to respond to shifts in the policy and regulatory landscape,” said Redsten. “We don’t know what’s ahead, but we know it will be a long, hard road. And we know a healthy future is worth fighting for.”
