Will Federal Courts Save Us from Air and Water Pollution?
July 3rd, 2017; The Washington Post and Philly.com Once again, a federal court has stepped in to halt actions and executive orders of the Trump administration.
On July 3, 2017, a federal appeals court struck down the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 90-day suspension of new emission standards on oil and gas wells.
The 2-1 decision was a setback for the administration’s efforts to roll back clean air standards initiated by the Obama administration.
The alignment of the current administration, the EPA, and the oil and gas industry in seeking less stringent regulation and less intervention by the federal judiciary can be seen in the actions that led to this ruling.
In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Pruitt said, “Just because you provide a time for implementation or compliance that’s longer doesn’t mean that you’re going to necessarily reverse or redirect the rule.” The court said otherwise, noting, “EPA’s stay, in other words, is essentially an order delaying the rule’s effective date, and this court has held that such orders are tantamount to amending or revoking a rule.” In a similar manner, Pruitt is seeking to address a clean water rule that was imposed in 2015.
According to Philly.com, “The rule requires permits from any enterprise planning to dump sewage or other waste into streams that flow into drinking water.
The issue here may come down to the ability to enforce clean water rules.
This will certainly impact the number of personnel assigned to monitor state compliance with water standards.
With the EPA stepping back from its enforcement of federal rules, federal court actions and rulings on clean air and clean water may be what must now be relied on to keep citizens healthy.