Citing an economic emergency, Trump directs agencies across government to waive federal regulations

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Climate and Environment
Citing an economic emergency, Trump directs agencies across government to waive federal regulations

By Steven Mufson, Juliet Eilperin, Jeff Stein and Renae Merle
June 5, 2020 at 2:45 p.m. EDT

The Trump administration is doing by fiat what it has struggled to accomplish through lengthy rulemaking — dismantling federal regulations designed to protect workers, consumers, investors and the environment.

Invoking an economic “emergency” stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the administration has made it harder for people to challenge inaccuracies on credit reports, eased required breaks for commercial truckers and told factories and power plants that, while they should obey pollution limits, they do not have to monitor or report their emissions routinely — among other things.

President Trump formalized this strategy two weeks ago when he signed an executive order instructing agencies across the government to rescind, modify or simply stop enforcing regulations if they burden the economy. On Thursday, he signed another order to allow agencies to waive 50-year-old environmental laws to speed federal approvals of pipelines, highways and other projects.

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The moves come on top of waivers that federal agencies had already granted businesses and industries earlier in the health crisis. The White House will seek to make many of those roughly 600 deregulatory actions permanent, according to a former White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

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Ian Duncan, Amy Goldstein, Chelsea Janes and Laura Meckler contributed to this report.

Steven Mufson
Steven Mufson covers the business of climate change. Since joining The Washington Post in 1989, he has covered economic policy, China, diplomacy, energy and the White House. Earlier he worked for The Wall Street Journal in New York, London and Johannesburg. In 2020, he shared the Pulitzer Prize for a climate change series "2C: Beyond the Limit." Follow https://twitter.com/StevenMufson

Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin is The Washington Post's senior national affairs correspondent, covering the transformation of federal environmental policy. She is the author of "Demon Fish: Travels Through The Hidden World of Sharks" and "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives." Eilperin has worked for The Post since 1998. Follow https://twitter.com/eilperin

Jeff Stein
Jeff Stein is the White House economics reporter for The Washington Post. He was a crime reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and, in 2014, founded the local news nonprofit the Ithaca Voice in Upstate New York. He was also a reporter for Vox. Follow https://twitter.com/jstein_wapo

Renae Merle
Renae Merle covers white-collar crime and Wall Street for The Washington Post. She has also worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. Follow https://twitter.com/renaemerle

EO on Accelerating the Nation's Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Emergency by Expediting ...

[Newest Reality]

1. An endless onslaught from here without even declaring war on America? Coup, coup katchoo.

[Turbineguy]

2. Time is running out.

He has to do as much damage as he can.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Yep

Just wait till he loses in November. It will get even uglier.