Potential EPA cuts would have ‘detrimental’ effects on Chicago environment.
The Trump administration proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by a third, almost eliminating the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and defunding the Office of Environmental Justice.
She added that the EPA has been a “champion” of the Chicago environment, and cuts would have a significant negative impact.
“Cutting those programs and staff that do really critical work is going to have detrimental effects to some of our most vulnerable communities,” McFadden said.
According to the EPA website, the Office of Environmental Justice works for fair treatment of all people, regardless of race or income, with respect to environmental laws’ enforcement.
In the past, it has helped shut down coal plants in Little Village, according to Tzoumis.
“We just don’t have that capacity to take [the projects] on, and there would be no federal or state government funding.” Julia Valentine, an EPA spokeswoman, said in a March 29 email to The Chronicle that Trump’s budget blueprint has priorities preserving clean air and water as well as easing the burden of costly regulations to the industry.
“Administrator [Scott] Pruitt is committed to leading the EPA in a more effective, more focused, less costly way as we partner with states to fulfill the agency’s core mission,” she said.
“The Trump administration views that jobs compete with the environment,” Tzoumis said.
“Jobs don’t have to be pitted against climate change or the environment.”