How Trump’s Shredding Green Regulations
21:48 Share

It's Friday, April 18th. I'm Erin Ryan, in for Jane Koston. And this is What A Day, the show for people who spent the last hour before bed last night scrolling Zillow listings for K218b, the faraway exoplanet identified by the James Webb Telescope that scientists say shows signs of life possibly existing on it. So far, nothing in my price range, but I'll keep looking.

On today's show, President Donald Trump meets with Italy's prime minister to talk over trade and ostensibly kiki over their mutual hatred for migrants. And the Supreme Court says it will hear arguments in Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, a thing that is literally written in our Constitution. And on that note, the Trump administration is running through our constitutional rights like a bull unleashed on the streets of Pamplona.

That was a segue, right? Guys, it's been a long week.

Here's what's happened since Monday. The administration got the ball rolling on gutting a key part of the Endangered Species Act, so habitat destruction would no longer qualify as harm to threatened plants and animals. It stopped construction on a major offshore wind farm off the coast of Long Island. Donald Trump famously hates windmills.

It canceled a $3 billion program to encourage farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices, and it kick-started the process of ending a Biden-era rule that aimed to put conservation on par with things like drilling as a valid public land use. Again, that's just this week. It's like that early 2000s song by Craig David where he talks about his week of dates with some lady he's into. My fellow millennials know what I'm talking about. Except for us, it's a week of compounding environmental horrors.

because Trump is actively pursuing large-scale environmental deregulation, which is putting both the climate and public health at risk. You can already see the human costs.

Just last month, his administration pulled a landmark lawsuit launched by former President Joe Biden that was supposed to compel a petrochemical plant in Louisiana to limit emissions that the EPA warns cause cancer. Crooked climate correspondent Enya Zolajowski has been following the story. She joined us to talk about what's been happening since the administration dropped the suit. Enya, welcome to What A Day. Thanks so much for having me.

So tell me a bit more about this suit that was dropped. Who did the Biden administration sue and why?

Yeah, let me tell you first about this plant. So it's the Danca plant in Laplace, Louisiana, and it makes a synthetic rubber that is often used in things like wetsuits and laptop cases. And it was releasing or it does release chloroprene, which is a likely cancer-causing chemical. And this plant is located in this stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana. It's an 85-mile or so stretch home to

200 or so fossil fuel and petrochemical companies. It also happens to have some of the highest rates of cancer in the country. So this area is actually called Cancer Alley. Whoa, Cancer Alley? That sounds unpleasant. So let's talk more about the suit. The suit named the owners, and who are those owners? So it's owned by Danka. It's a Japanese chemical giant, and it bought the company from DuPont in 2015.

So when did the federal government slap a suit on the plant and why? The suit was slapped in 2023. And so this goes back to chloroprene, the chemical I had mentioned. At the time, EPA said that it found really unsafe levels of chloroprene in the area. And so they were saying that it was being released by this plant. And so they had sued with the intent to compel the plant to lower those emissions.

And can you tell us a little bit about chloroprene? Like, what does the research say about it? Why is this stuff bad news? Yeah. So according to the EPA, it is a likely carcinogen because in animal trials, you know, being exposed to it has resulted in tumors in the lungs and the liver. So, you know, animal trials have shown that exposure has caused cancer. So those emissions, like how bad were these emissions?

Yeah, we're talking, you know, according to the EPA presser at the time, we're talking like levels 14 times higher than what the EPA considers a safe lifetime exposure, with the risk being especially pronounced for children under the age of 16 and infants. And so I spoke with the former EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, Matthew Tejada, and he says he actually remembers when this was all coming to light.

I remember when we first mapped it and it was like a supernova on our map. It was like, whoa, what is that facility? You know, because we were first getting in those risk assessments. It was so clear how

Nobody in their right minds would want to live, much less raise their family, within 50 miles of this facility. Oh my gosh, that sounds so spooky. That official said nobody should be living within 50 miles, but, well, there were people there, hence the suit. So who's in that area? Yeah, I think that's a really great question because it can feel so abstract when you're not from the area, but we're talking about predominantly Black neighborhoods, tightrope

tight-knit. These are not rich neighborhoods. I spoke to someone from the area who beamed when he was talking about his community. He said they're close, they're hard workers. He mentioned the children. The population in the area, according to the former EPA presser, is 20% under the age of 18. And there's actually a school that's about a quarter mile from the Danka plant

And I want to flag that the school board actually had that school shut down. They didn't list the plant as the motivator for the decision, but the EPA has long been warning that those students were at higher risk of cancer because of the chloroprene emissions. So we're talking about, you know, real people, real families and children. So this suit was filed something like two years ago. How much faith was there that the EPA under Biden could actually help?

Yeah, you know, so Matthew Tejada did say if there was any criticism, it's that maybe the EPA could have acted faster. But this was really a big deal because it marked this escalation by the Biden administration in their push to address environmental injustice. So they were really trying to check long-term polluters in poor racialized communities. And so community members really celebrated the move. You know, they voiced hope when it came out. Mm-hmm.

But the Trump administration just dropped the suit last month. Why? I don't think it'll shock you to learn that it's part of the so-called mandate to end diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It is really hard to overstate the racism and the potential cruelty of this decision. You know, this isn't ideology. Like, this is fact. It is fact that people of color, low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately harmed by environmental pollution in the United States. And

For many in this area now, it's the sense that they're losing hope for protection. So just to be clear, they ended a lawsuit that was aimed at helping people, just people, not any specific group of people, just people who live there, to address the source of higher rates of cancer because it benefited a disproportionately Black population? Yeah.

Yeah. And, you know, it's tricky, too, because it really was part of the Biden administration's push to address the fact that Black and brown communities are getting harder hit. Oh, my gosh. So how did the people who live there take the suit being stopped? So I spoke with Robert Taylor. He's an 84-year-old resident living near the Danka plant. And he's also the director of Concerned Citizens of St. John. It's a local advocacy group that had actually asked the EPA to investigate the

He's lived in the area his whole life, and he's lost several relatives to cancer. Here was his first reaction. It was quite disappointing, of course, but I expected the worst from the Trump administration. That makes it real difficult for us. But we have to carry on, and so that's what we're doing.

Carry on. Oh, my goodness. Well, I guess for now, that's what their options are. What else are they doing about this? What are what are they trying? Yeah, you know, he really is going to continue advocating like the whole group, the neighborhood. But something that's tangible is the community really wants the tools to be able to measure emissions themselves independently. And right now they don't they don't have those tools.

If the community is going to survive this attack, we are going to have to get up and take care of ourselves and our children and fight for our lives. Because we see that these agencies, their intent is not well when it comes to us.

How did the plant owner take the news about the suit being pulled? A random guess here, but they probably weren't too upset about it. You're right. So we did reach out to the company and we didn't hear back. Lawyers defending the Danka plant issued a statement saying that they're extremely pleased with the outcome and referred to the lawsuit as scientifically flawed.

A company spokesperson had also issued a statement thanking the Trump administration. And for years, the company has maintained that it voluntarily spent millions to offset emissions and that they drastically reduced the amount of chloroprene to historically low levels.

I also want to just flag Louisiana's officials. Top Louisiana officials, including the governor, have praised the facility for its economic benefits, and they've said that concerns around pollution are overblown. People may have heard about Cancer Alley before, and they might suspect that the government is on the fence about stopping pollution. There are jobs in those plants. People want to protect those, too. But zooming out

Why should people who live way outside of Cancer Alley pay attention to one lawsuit that's gone by the wayside? Because this is just the tip of the iceberg. The DOJ just dropped a settlement last week that would have helped a poor Black county in Alabama address wastewater problems. So we're already seeing more things come out. And experts warn that this doesn't stop here. Like, even if you live in an affluent neighborhood, you're not immune. And so this is actually what Tejada said.

This is coming for everyone. If you want to drink safe water in this country, good luck.

Just as we were starting to make progress on getting lead out of people's drinking water, on getting forever chemicals out of people's drinking water, good luck. It's coming back for you. Just as we were really starting to think that we were secure in not breathing noxious diesel particulate matter from old dirty engines or not having to worry about mercury coming out of the smokestacks of coal plants, good luck. It's coming back.

This is a lot to take in. The government sues a big plan to protect residents, but then voila, new president. It's not a priority anymore for the worst possible reasons. And this is when the administration's aiming to cut regulations across the board, too. And yet, if this situation in Cancer Alley ever turns around, where would that need to start?

There is still a lot that can be done. You know, lots of work is happening locally at the state level. You know, people, of course, can also call their representatives, get to know what your potential risks in your neighborhood are. Knowledge is power here and voters still do have power. Yeah. So pay attention to what's happening in your local community where you have the most likelihood of being able to make change.

Totally, totally. Anya, thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for having me. That was my conversation with Crooked Climate correspondent Anya Zolijewski. This segment was supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads.

What a Day is brought to you by Bookshop.org. Whether you're searching for an incisive history that helps you make sense of this moment, a novel that sweeps you away, or the perfect gift for a loved one, Bookshop.org has you covered. When you purchase from Bookshop.org, you're supporting more than 2,000 local, independent bookstores across the country, ensuring they'll continue to foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading for generations to come. Big news, Bookshop.org has launched an e-book app. You can now support local, independent bookstores even when you read digitally.

Use code WAD to get 10% off your next order at bookshop.org. That's code WAD at bookshop.org. Amazon Pharmacy presents Painful Thoughts. 20 more minutes to kill in the pharmacy before my prescription is ready. Maybe I'll grab some deeply discounted out-of-season Halloween candy. Hmm, I never had a chocolate pumpkin with raisins before.

At Comcast, our commitment to the military community goes back to our founder, U.S. Navy veteran Ralph Roberts. Today, he's a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Today, we honor his legacy by partnering with organizations to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses succeed in today's digital world. Delivering the internet connection, skills, and support they need to advance economic mobility and open doors to new opportunities. Visit ComcastCorporation.com slash military to learn more. Comcast, proudly supporting our military community because your service matters.

Here's what else we're following today. "Headlines." "Tariffs are making us rich. We were losing a lot of money under Biden."

A low-energy President Trump says he's in no rush to announce a trade deal with Italy, even though the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgio Maloney, visited him at the White House Thursday to talk about trade deals. He also insisted there absolutely would be a trade deal with the European Union by the end of his 90-day pause on most global tariffs. Oh, there'll be a trade deal, 100%.

Well, you think there won't be? Of course, there'll be a trade deal very much. They want to make one very, very much. And we're going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it. But it'll be a fair deal. Are they on your priority list? Everybody's on my priority. If everybody's on the priority list, isn't it kind of like nobody's on the priority list? Well, everybody might be on his priority list, but the EU has kind of been on his shit list.

Still, Trump said he likes Prime Minister Maloney, quote, very much. I'm sure that makes Maloney feel great. Maloney offered to keep channels open between Trump and the EU. I want to thank President Trump.

for having accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future and consider the possibility in that occasion to meet also with Europe. The goal for me is to make the West great again. And I think we can do it together. But despite the fake sounding optimism, little progress has been made in easing the ballooning trade war that Trump started for reasons that make sense to him and him alone.

The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear arguments over President Trump's executive order to restrict birthright citizenship. Trump issued that order just after his inauguration. It would bar citizenship for children born to the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Naturally, three district courts around the country hit the pause button for reasons like birthright citizenship is literally guaranteed in the Constitution. The Supreme Court sped up the schedule to hear arguments next month. But for now, the executive order remains on hold.

The news on Trump and immigration keeps churning, though. A federal appeals court agreed with a lower court judge that the Trump administration must provide details on how it's facilitating the return of Kilmar Obrego Garcia. That's the Maryland man we've been talking about who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month. The government admitted to the, quote, administrative error, but claims it can't bring him back because he's no longer in U.S. custody, even though we are paying to keep him in a notorious Salvadoran megaprison.

The three-judge panel slammed the administration for its continuous defiance, writing, quote, This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear. I think Harvard's a disgrace. I think what they did was a disgrace. They're obviously anti-Semitic.

Is anybody else starting to wonder if a certain somebody's kid didn't get into Harvard? Just putting it out there. Trump's unprecedented threats to Harvard University just keep coming. The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it cut nearly $3 million in grants to the university and threatened the school's ability to enroll international students. It's the

It's the latest effort by the White House to punish Harvard over its refusal to meet Trump's demands, aimed at ending diversity efforts and rooting out what his administration says is rampant anti-Semitism on campus. The day prior, the administration reportedly directed the IRS to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status. Trump seemed to hint that this is a tool his administration might use more while he was taking questions from reporters Wednesday at the White House. Tax-exempt status, I mean, it's a privilege. That's really a privilege.

And it's been abused by a lot more than Harvard. By a lot more than Harvard. So we'll see how that all works out. In a statement earlier in the day, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered Harvard to hand over, quote, detailed records on Harvard's foreign student visa holders' illegal and violent activities. If it doesn't, Harvard risks losing its ability to enroll international students altogether.

Noem says Harvard has until the end of the month to comply. The secretary notably didn't give any examples of anti-Semitism on Harvard's campus in her statement, just that, quote, pro-Hamas and anti-American ideology have run rampant at the university. That might be because the White House maybe, just maybe, doesn't have any proof. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the Trump administration didn't provide any evidence of wrongdoing when it froze another $2 billion in grants to Harvard earlier this week. It

It just skipped over those requirements set out in civil rights laws. The administration also seems to have sidestepped a requirement to notify Congress of said violations and wait 30 days before applying any penalties. Never ones to be left out, though, congressional Republicans are also jumping into the fight against Harvard. On Wednesday, two top House Republicans announced a separate investigation into Harvard over alleged civil rights violations.

In other court news, the Department of Justice won a major antitrust case against Google. In a suit filed under the Biden administration, the government accused Google of operating an illegal monopoly in online advertising technology.

The suit targeted three specific markets, the tools used by online publishers to host ads, the tools advertisers use to buy that ad space, and the software that makes those purchases happen. In a Thursday decision, a federal judge in Virginia sided with the DOJ, ruling that Google, quote, willfully engaged in a series of anti-competitive acts to acquire and maintain a monopoly in two of those markets, publisher tools and the software for ad transactions. Judges hate this one weird trick.

The judge dismissed the DOJ's argument that Google monopolized tools for advertisers, but the federal government came out on top overall. This is the second major antitrust ruling to hit Google in less than a year. In August, another federal judge found Google held a monopoly over online search. Google said it plans to appeal Thursday's ruling. TechGiant's vice president of regulatory affairs told The Verge, quote, we won half of this case and will appeal the other half. Last I checked, one third isn't equal to one half. Google it. And that's the news.

Before we go, the tech elite shaped the internet and now they're watching it spiral. This week on Offline, John and Max dig into it all from Zuckerberg taking the stand to Silicon Valley's Trump era flirtation coming back to haunt them like a embarrassing search history. Plus, Dr. Lior Zmegrod joins to discuss her new book, The Ideological Brain, exploring the neuroscience behind why some people are more susceptible to conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies.

Yes, your uncle might be in there somewhere. Listen to Offline Now wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube.

That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, fantasize about living on an exoplanet, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just the extra zeros at the end of the price of heavily tariffed Hermes handbags like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Erin Ryan, and a handbag should not cost more than a year of college with or without tariffs.

What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fore. Our producer is Michelle Alloy. We had production help today from Shauna Lee, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, and Greg Walters. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

Bye.

Support for this podcast comes from Progressive, America's number one motorcycle insurer. Did you know riders who switch and save with Progressive save nearly $180 per year? That's a whole new pair of riding gloves and more. Quote today. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $178 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between October 2022 and September 2023. Potential savings will vary.

Listen as Selenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons. The diseases that I am protecting my child against, they're still here. And at the end of the day, it's my job as a mother to keep my child safe. Talk to your child's doctor and learn more at whyvaccines.com. Brought to you by Merck.