A push by Donald Trump\u2019s administration to repeal a barrage of clean air and water regulations may deal a severe blow to US public health, with a Guardian analysis finding that the targeted rules were set to save the lives of nearly 200,000 people in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
Last week, Trump\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provoked uproar by unveiling a list of 31 regulations it will scale back or eliminate, including rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants; restrictions on the emission of mercury, a neurotoxin; and clean water protections for rivers and streams.<\/p>\n
Lee Zeldin, the EPA\u2019s administrator, called the extraordinary series of rollbacks the \u201cgreatest day of deregulation our nation has seen\u201d and declared it a \u201cdagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion\u201d. One of the most consequential actions will see the EPA reconsider a landmark 2009 finding that greenhouse gases harm human health, which has been used to underpin laws aimed at addressing the climate crisis.<\/p>\n
But the rules targeted by Zeldin have immediate, measurable benefits to Americans\u2019 health even without considering the longer-term impacts of the climate crisis. In total, the regulations on the hit list will prevent nearly 200,000 deaths over the next 25 years, by helping avoid an array of heart, respiratory and other health problems worsened by air and water pollution, according to assessments conducted by the EPA itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A push by Donald Trump\u2019s administration to repeal a barrage of clean air and water regulations may deal a severe blow to US public health, with a Guardian analysis finding that the targeted rules were set to save the lives of nearly 200,000 people in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
Last week, Trump\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provoked uproar by unveiling a list of 31 regulations it will scale back or eliminate, including rules limiting harmful air pollution from cars and power plants; restrictions on the emission of mercury, a neurotoxin; and clean water protections for rivers and streams.<\/p>\n