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The Cost

Topic

Environment & Energy

Energy, climate, pollution rules, public lands, and disaster response - each rollback or order recorded alongside its measured cost to health, ratepayers, and the environment.

decisions
26
severe or critical
16
sources cited
124

All environment & energy decisions, newest first

  1. EPA scraps carbon limits on power plants

    A September 2026 rule repeals most of the 2024 carbon standards for coal and gas plants, and a companion proposal would end federal power-plant climate rules entirely.

  2. Three million acres, un-protected

    Trump shrank Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by more than 90% and disbanded tribal co-management.

  3. Cutting the safeguards on public-land drilling

    Interior proposed slashing cleanup bonds, dropping pre-sale comment periods and cutting the protest window on federal leases from 30 days to 10.

  4. Vehicle greenhouse-gas standards repealed

    Repeal forgoes EPA-projected $6,000 per-driver savings and up to 2,500 prevented deaths in 2055.

  5. EPA rescinds greenhouse gas Endangerment Finding

    Rescinding the GHG Endangerment Finding repealed all federal vehicle greenhouse-gas standards.

  6. EPA abandons stronger PM2.5 soot standard

    EPA asked a court to strike the tighter PM2.5 limit its own 2024 analysis credited with preventing up to 4,500 deaths in 2032; the court refused.

  7. $7.5B in clean energy grants canceled

    DOE canceled $7.56B for 223 clean-energy projects concentrated in states that backed Harris.

  8. EPA shutters research office

    The agency's independent science arm was eliminated amid mass layoffs.

  9. Reconciliation law eliminates most IRA clean-energy credits

    Congress ended the EV credit, solar credit, and wind production credits ahead of schedule.

  10. Methane compliance deadlines delayed 18 months

    EPA extended compliance deadlines, forgoing 3.8 million tons of methane reductions.

  11. Roadless forest protections targeted

    USDA moved to open about 58.5 million acres of roadless national forest to logging and roads.

  12. Retiring coal plants forced open

    DOE emergency orders kept retiring fossil plants running, with the costs passed to ratepayers.

  13. PFAS water limits targeted for rollback

    EPA moved to scrap limits for four 'forever chemicals' and delay cleanup deadlines.

  14. Energy Star targeted for elimination

    The threatened elimination was averted; Congress funded the program and management moved to DOE.

  15. FEMA cancels disaster-prevention grants

    The $3.6B BRIC program was scrapped, then a court ruled the cancellation unlawful and ordered it reinstated.

  16. Climate Assessment authors dismissed

    All roughly 400 scientists writing the mandated US climate report were let go.

  17. Habitat loss excluded from ESA harm

    A final rule effective Sept. 14, 2026 removed the definition that let habitat destruction count as harm.

  18. 60+ power plants exempted from mercury rule

    Two-year exemptions were followed by a 2026 repeal of the stricter Biden-era mercury and air-toxics limits.

  19. EPA shuts EJ offices, ends $2.8B grant program

    EPA closed its environmental-justice offices and ended the $2.8B EJ block-grant program; a judge later ruled the termination unlawful.

  20. EPA launches 31-rule deregulatory sweep

    What EPA called the largest deregulatory action in US history placed air, water, and climate standards under review at once.

  21. Weather Service enters disaster season understaffed

    About 600 of ~4,200 Weather Service positions were lost by spring 2025, ahead of hurricane and tornado seasons.

  22. Federal lands opened to expanded oil leasing

    BLM approved the most drilling permits in 15 years while royalty rates on public oil and gas were cut.

  23. $34.8B in clean-energy investment canceled

    For the first time since 2022, cancellations outpaced new clean-energy announcements nearly 3-to-1.

  24. Five offshore wind projects halted mid-construction

    Suspensions were reversed by courts within weeks; all five projects resumed construction in early 2026.

  25. Energy emergency expedites fossil-fuel permitting

    Emergency declaration fast-tracked oil and gas while excluding wind and solar.

  26. US exits Paris climate accord again

    The US left the accord in January 2026; the order also revoked the US international climate-finance plan.