factory during daytime with smoke billowing above farm crops.

EPA rollback plan threatens billions in savings and thousands of lives, analysis shows

The Trump administration’s proposed reversal of major U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pollution rules could lead to tens of thousands of premature deaths and erase hundreds of billions in annual health and climate benefits, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Seth Borenstein, M.K. Wildeman, Melina Walling, Joshua A. Bickel and Matthew Daly report for The Associated Press.


In short:

  • The rollback targets EPA rules that were projected to prevent 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion annually by limiting pollutants from fossil fuel combustion.
  • Trump’s EPA downplays or omits the health benefits of the rules while highlighting compliance costs, despite scientific analyses showing benefits far outweigh costs.
  • Health experts warn that weakening these regulations will increase exposure to deadly fine particulate matter, smog, mercury, and other toxic pollutants.

Key quote:

“More people will die. More of this type of pollution that we know kills people will be in the air.”

— Cory Zigler, professor of biostatistics at Brown University

Why this matters:

Air pollution remains one of the world’s leading environmental health risks, linked to heart and lung disease, cancer, neurological disorders, and premature death. U.S. regulations targeting fossil fuel emissions have helped cut levels of deadly pollutants like soot and sulfur dioxide, especially in historically polluted communities. Rolling back these protections could reverse years of public health gains, particularly in low-income and frontline neighborhoods. Children, the elderly, and people with respiratory conditions face heightened risks. Cutting climate-related rules also means more greenhouse gas emissions, intensifying heat waves, wildfires, and floods that endanger lives and strain public health systems.

Related: EPA sheds hundreds of staffers as Trump administration pushes agency cuts

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Trump officials quietly tighten control over renewable energy projects on public lands

The U.S. Interior Department now requires wind and solar projects on federal land to receive personal approval from Secretary Doug Burgum, a move that could delay clean energy development across millions of acres.

Josh Siegel and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

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Trump pulls $4 billion from California bullet train project, escalating feud with Newsom

The Trump administration has revoked $4 billion in federal funding for California’s long-delayed high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, sparking legal threats from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Frances Vinall reports for The Washington Post.

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Parks lose ground on clean air as wildfire smoke and budget cuts grow

Air quality across U.S. national parks has improved since the 1990s, but growing wildfire smoke and shrinking federal budgets threaten to reverse those gains.

Niko Kommenda reports for The Washington Post.

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Virginia clean energy advocates question reliability of new federal energy report promoting coal

A recent U.S. Department of Energy report ordered by President Trump promotes coal-fired power as essential to grid reliability, but Virginia clean energy advocates say it overlooks climate risks and mounting financial losses.

Charles Paullin reports for Inside Climate News.

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Trump administration revives plan to open Alaska’s Tongass rainforest to logging

The Trump administration has announced plans to eliminate protections for roadless areas in national forests, including Alaska’s Tongass, potentially opening millions of acres of wilderness to logging and development.

Ted Williams reports for Yale Environment 360.

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Wall Street firms move to buy electric utilities as data centers drive energy demand

BlackRock and Blackstone are seeking to acquire utilities in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Texas to profit from the electricity needs of expanding data centers, raising concerns from consumer advocates about rate hikes and service reliability.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

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Trump administration halts hydrogen furnace project in polluted Ohio steel town

A plan to replace a coal-fired furnace at an Ohio steel mill with cleaner hydrogen technology has stalled after the Trump administration withdrew key federal support.

Stephen Starr reports for The Guardian.

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