Trump Tries to Follow the Rules to Win on Deregulation
Attempts to loosen climate standards have been stymied on procedural grounds, until now.
Phase 1 of President Donald Trump’s environmental deregulation agenda lasted two largely unsuccessful years. One by one, his climate proposals were crushed by legal challengers who convinced judges that the administration had failed to abide by established policymaking procedures.
Trump has so far attempted to deregulate by cutting corners: postponing compliance dates on Obama-era norms or suspending rules “pending reconsideration.” A new wave of finalized deregulatory measures is set to roll out beginning later this month, including guidelines for vehicle emission standards, clean water policies, and raised caps for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. This time around, the president and his team seem to have discovered a secret weapon that may threaten the pristine record earned by their environmental opponents: playing by the rules.