By Bruce Melton / The Rag Blog / April 17, 2025
The title of this article is not solely meant to highlight the level of knowledge of this current administration, but to draw attention to the strongly conservative Wall Street Journal article,“The Dumbest Trade War in History (Paywall).” And The Hill’s Review.This dismantling of common sense, logical, safe, equitable, and economically beneficial governance by these corporate raiders is of course, cray cray.
The Paris Agreement
First-off on inauguration day, the Death Eaters chucked the United State’s international climate policy participation like they had just stepped on dog feces. In this executive order, the lies fly like the flies on the stepped-on poo. It’s title, “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,” belies the selfish and irresponsible actions supported by these hoodlums in their deceit about what America is, what our position is in the world, and what our people believe about our international actions.
The first paragraph of the order states a truth, “Over decades, with the help of sensible policies that do not encumber private sector activity, the United States has simultaneously grown its economy, raised worker wages, increased energy production, reduced air and water pollution, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The United States’ successful track record of advancing both economic and environmental objectives should be a model for other countries.”
The U.S. has done these things because we are a leader, and these actions promote a better environment that limits risk and damages so that our economy and society can prosper. Our beneficial regulations are the simple reason the United States is the global leader in almost everything. Spreading this philosophy is not only beneficial to those it is spread to, but it directly benefits the U.S. when others think deeply truth and safety and what they mean to the advancement of society. This global “truth” benefits not only those implementing rules for environmental and societal safety, but it benefits the rest of us too because those other countries prosper, and when everyone prospers, there is a natural economic and social feedback that creates greater prosperity afar.
<!--more-->This order supposedly puts “the interests of the United States and the American people first in the development and negotiation of any international agreements with the potential to damage or stifle the American economy,” when, by abandoning international agreements, we show the world the great depth of the irresponsible actions of this illegitimate administration.
What the almighty illegitimate leader cannot comprehend with this move, is that it will hinder renewable energy development in the United States, allowing us to fall far behind the rest of the world. Renewables are far cheaper than fossil fuels today and only massive money giveaways can overcome this economic fact. This is a really stupid economic move for the American people, not to mention the tone it sets globally, when climate change has now created so much warming that is beyond anything our advanced civilization has ever experienced. Our climate is so changed already that our infrastructure components are failing because they were simply not designed to work in these warmer, wetter, drier, windier conditions, with the repeatedly unprecedented weather extremes we are now experiencing that are far beyond those of our old stale climate.
On a positive note, besides for the fact that the courts and the people have been on a path to successfully block these maniacal actions, or to have them rescinded because of popular uprising from both political parties, industry in most cases will not acquiesce and revert to fossil fuels because, they know that the incentives of this administration will not persist. Four years is a short time frame for industrial improvement planning. Implementing improvements that are reliant upon any temporary incentives will almost always be realized as what they are — bad investments because their incentive will disappear quickly.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program
Scientific American tells us, “The dismemberment of the U.S. Global Change Research Program was outlined in Project 2025 as a way to elevate the “benefits” of climate change when fighting regulations in court.” The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) obtained its core functionality from the U.S. National Climate Program established in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter, and was put into motion by President Ronald Reagan in 1989 and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. Fifteen U.S programs and administrations are represented in the USGCRP from the Office of Management and Budget to the National Science Foundation. This history is quite interesting as, though the National Climate Program was established by Jimmy Carter, the advancement of this very broad U.S. program was carried out by the conservative administrations of Reagan and George W. Bush.
“Closing or shrinking the research effort is equivalent to moving into the future facing backwards — it will surely lead to getting off course and tripping up.” Mike MacCracken, former director of the USGCRP
“Closing or shrinking the research effort is equivalent to moving into the future facing backwards — it will surely lead to getting off course and tripping up.” — Mike MacCracken, former director of the USGCRP
Dr. Mike MacCracken, the first executive director of the USGCRP and the first executive director of the first U.S. National Climate Assessment, whom I serve with on the steering committee of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition, provided me with this overview of the USGCRP.
“The USGCRP was created in order to coordinate research on seasonal climate variability, ozone depletion, climate change and other natural and human influences affecting the weather, severe storms, climate change and their impacts on agriculture, forests, water resources, coastlines, and more — so basically to help ensure that the human well-being, ecological services, and the economy the country depends upon, are not adversely impacted and beneficial interactions can be protected. The Office of the USGCRP helps facilitate cooperative interagency research activities and the preparation of periodic assessments on how things are going in the various regions of the country and sectors of the economy, and does so with the help of those involved in the regions and economic activities, including scientists, natural resource managers, farmers, state and local governments and more, combining information from the national and international research efforts with local and regional expertise and insights.
“Dismantling of the effort will mean that farmers get less information on what and when to plant and harvest, water resource managers get less information on trends in precipitation and water use, that foresters and health experts get less information for dealing with trends in extreme weather, for example about drought and flood potential. The Program was established on a bipartisan basis intended to provide useful information to assist in achieving optimal environmental and economic outcomes by ensuring that knowledge about what is happening and why can help national, regional, and local leaders and decision-makers plan and take steps to reduce deaths and maximize production and economic activity as the Nation moves forward, especially so the infrastructure that supports society can be safe and cost-effective through the decades ahead. Closing or shrinking the research effort is equivalent to moving into the future facing backwards — it will surely lead to getting off course and tripping up.”
Project 2025 has a chapter on the USGCRP, to eliminate or reduce its capacity so severely that its findings cannot be used in court to advance climate change mitigation, and to make it harder to create climate policy, where the Office of Management and Budget would help select a small pool of researchers to produce our National Climate Assessments that question humanity’s contribution to climate change. The White House has been exploring a version of the National Climate Assessment that would highlight “benefits” of global warming, that could help in challenging the 2009 EPA Endangerment finding on greenhouse gas pollution.
Unleashing the Kraken Executive Order
Unleashing American Energy Executive Order seeks to protect United States economic and national security through unfettered production of fossil fuels and other natural resources. It will also eliminate the electric vehicle mandate.
The EPA’s new leadership is showing its dishonorable unprofessional nature in its elimination of the Biden administration’s so-called EV mandate. This is the 2027-2032 vehicle emissions standards common across our land from time to time. This time, CO2 and N2O were in the rule, with a halving of CO2 emissions from light and medium duty automobiles and trucks. From the old EPA website, “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles,” that sets new, more protective standards to further reduce harmful air pollutant emissions from light-duty and medium-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027.
<more/>The final rule builds upon EPA’s final standards for federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2023 through 2026 and leverages advances in clean car technology to unlock benefits to Americans ranging from improving public health through reducing smog-and soot-forming pollution from vehicles, to reducing climate pollution, to saving drivers money through reduced fuel and maintenance costs. These standards will phase in over model years 2027 through 2032.”
EPA Director Zeldon’s quote from the official EPA announcement to terminate what they irresponsibly refer to as the Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Mandate:
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration. As we reconsider nearly one trillion dollars of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment.”
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration. As we reconsider nearly one trillion dollars of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment.”
The new non-science EPA justification rule is extremely terse and of course baked with non-reality suggesting that the only way to achieve low carbon emissions is with EVs. This is not true. The Biden standard is for the fleet, and new direct injection gasoline engine efficiency that can meet the standards with normal advancement of EVs as we have seen in the market recently.
EPA is planning on halting most of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. Their brain damage is so severe, they think data collection for use by others has no meaning in the treatment of pollution. Current EPA administrator Zelding was actually quoted in an official EPA document that relates about the “American Dream.” EPA Director Zeldin: “The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is another example of a bureaucratic government program that does not improve air quality. Instead, it costs American businesses and manufacturing millions of dollars, hurting small businesses and the ability to achieve the American Dream.”
More of the unleashing of the kraken (The Unleashing of American Energy Executive Order). Termination of the implementation of energy and infrastructure improvements in the Inflation Reduction Act is just one of the unscrupulous actions of the “Unleashing of the Kraken Executive Order.” The corruptness of this administration knows bounds only found in fascist regimes. The following have been rescinded:
(i) Executive Order 13990 of January 20, 2021 (Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis);
(ii) Executive Order 13992 of January 20, 2021 (Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation);
(iii) Executive Order 14008 of January 27, 2021 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad);
(iv) Executive Order 14007 of January 27, 2021 (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology);
(v) Executive Order 14013 of February 4, 2021 (Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration);
(vi) Executive Order 14027 of May 7, 2021 (Establishment of the Climate Change Support Office);
(vii) Executive Order 14030 of May 20, 2021 (Climate-Related Financial Risk);
(viii) Executive Order 14037 of August 5, 2021 (Strengthening American Leadership in CleanCars and Trucks);
(ix) Executive Order 14057 of December 8, 2021 (Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability);
(x) Executive Order 14072 of April 22, 2022 (Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies);
(xi) Executive Order 14082 of September 12, 2022 (Implementation of the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022); and
(xii) Executive Order 14096 of April 21, 2023 (Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All). Further, the Order states, “all activities, programs, and operations associated with the American Climate Corps shall be terminated immediately.”
National Weather Service
Over 1,000 employees have been cut from the National Weather Service (NWS) leaving an average of 20 percent employee vacancies across the country. This means not only will we have trouble with weather data crucial to understanding the rate and extreme nature of climate change, but weather warnings will be degraded. An example of experts warning of cuts already degrading services is that tornado damage in Kentucky has been forestalled because staff are needed to provide continuing information to the public about ongoing weather emergencies.
People who lose their lives from this nonsense are no less dead than those that lose their lives because of a 20 percent cut in the ability of our military to defend us. NOAA research has been cut by 27 percent. Literally, one in four NOAA research projects is now proposed to be gone.
Methane
The new and critically important methane rule of the EPA has been revoked by the Trump Administration. Delulu. No Cap.
Coal
If this were not so devastating, this would be a hilarious Saturday Night Live skit.
“Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241.” This is the actual title of a White House Executive Order. The laugh lines are, “Coal is cost effective.” “There are trillions of dollars of coal in the ground in the U.S. (the old Energy Information Administration said $598 billion).” “Hundreds of thousand of Americans are employed in the coal industry. In 2023, the number was 45,000.”
There is nothing in this order that suggests monetary or other incentives to spur increased production of coal and this is the great idiocy of this concept. They can remove all the regulatory impediments that limit coal production and incentive renewable production but they can’t make coal cheaper without cash incentives.
Lazard, the leading levelized cost of energy information organization, tells us that the cheapest coal costs $71 per megawatt hour, where the cheapest wind and solar are $27 and $29 per megawatt hour, while the most expensive coal is $168 per megawatt hour, the most expensive wind and solar are $73 and $2 per megawatt hour.
Even if producers know that a presidential administration is a fleeting thing. Producers’economic planning spans decades or more. In four years, the whiplash will be great and existing previous regulations will be reenacted. No industry in its right mind would implement such fundamental changes based on temporary incentives.
States Energy Rules
The latest climate bottom of the gene pool climate action taken by this illegitimate administration is an executive order directing the Justice Department to block all state energy regulations that are “burdensome and ideologically motivated ‘climate change’ or energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security” titled, “Protecting American Energy from State Overreach.”
He begins his order as usual with a campaign pitch (lie) labelling non-renewable energy production regulations at the state level as “illegitimate.” Most notably, federal lands protections are at risk if this gene pool scum action is not stopped.
The order also lies about California’s so called “radical” regulations. These orders produced by this illegitimate administration are hard to read. Not because they are egregious (though they most certainly are) but because of the continual illegitimate campaigning using superlatives that are absent from any type of official legitimate U.S. lawmaking.
Typical of this administration bent on destruction of democracy, they omit discussion of beneficial regulations and California suffers from this premediated action once again. Their California Low Carbon Fuels Sequestration Incentive was the first in the country. It pays producers up to $180 a ton to sequester carbon in the production of low carbon fuels. Nary a mention of allowing beneficial actions to proceed unencumbered by this proposed regulation removal action masked as “protection.”
Is there any good news?
It is highly unlikely that this unhinged chainsaw massacre administration will rescind the Inflation Reduction Act’s enhancements to the Internal Revenue Services Carbon Sequestration Incentive Section 45Q. This incentive pays industry to remove carbon at about three times the cost of actually removing it, at $180 a ton for direct sequestration. Over 200 one million ton-per-year units are currently committed under 45Q. The reason 45Q will not be rescinded is that it is a huge revenue source for industry, paid for by you and me — exactly the kind of thing this corporate takeover of America is trying to do.
[Bruce Melton is a professional engineer, environmental researcher, filmmaker, climate science education specialist, author, and director of the Climate Change Now Initiative founded in 2005. He has recently been involved in groundbreaking climate policy development where he was awarded a special achievement award by the Sierra Club. He is a regular contributor to The Rag Blog and Rag Radio.]
