5 Scary Things That Could Happen If The EPA Actually Stops Functioning
When Scott Pruitt was announced as Trump’s pick to head the EPA, the Sierra Club said it would be “like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires.”
Now that Pruitt is actually in charge, it seems the climate-change-denying head of the EPA is indeed intent on setting fires: He recently announced plans to essentially gut the agency by drastically cutting staff and slashing the budget.
As alarming as this is, it isn’t really a surprise. Back in 2015, Trump proposed doing away with the EPA altogether, stating that “What they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations. They’re making it impossible [to do business].” As it turns out, though, protecting the environment is pretty complicated stuff — much like healthcare reform — and the EPA does quite a few important things.
Here are five things that could quickly go wrong if the EPA actually stops functioning:
1: Air quality would get worse
If you’ve ever seen photos of city-dwellers in Hong Kong or Beijing wearing surgical masks and wondered why New York or LA aren’t the same, you can thank the EPA. The agency monitors our air via the Air Quality Index and administers the Clean Air Act, which requires companies to get a permit from the EPA before they create a stationary source of pollution. It also ensures that new cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles don’t release unsafe levels of pollutants.
The laws protecting our air won’t go away just because the EPA does, but without enforcement, corporations would likely start flouting the rules to cut back on costs. Air pollution has been linked to increased rates of asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer, among other serious health issues, so less regulation would be even worse for our health than it would for our collective fashion aesthetic. (Or maybe you can rock a stylish surgical mask — you do you).
2: Toxic waste could start mysteriously showing up everywhere
On June 22nd, 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire. The river’s surface was coated in a layer of oil and and locals knew falling in the river would earn you a trip to the hospital. The cause was unregulated, irresponsible dumping from the nearby industrial cities of Akron and Cleveland. The disaster became a symbol for environmentalists and is credited with helping the U.S. pass the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Today, the Clean Water Act is enforced by the EPA. It protects our waterways and sets standards for industrial wastewater so we don’t end up with another Cuyahoga. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act, another assignment of the EPA, ensures the safe disposal of radioactive fuel by-products. Again, these laws won’t go away just because the EPA does, but without active enforcement by the agency, corporations will be much more likely to resume dumping toxic waste and hazardous materials wherever they think they can get away with it…which means we could soon begin seeing toxic waste in our waterways, soil, and food supply.
#3 Water quality nationwide would get even worse
In 2015 it was revealed that more than 100,000 people, including 9,000 children under the age of six, had been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. The disaster and subsequent cover-up by city officials dominated national headlines for months, but many people are unaware that now, two years later, residents of Flint still lack access to clean water. Even worse? Studies indicate that lead in drinking water is a problem nationwide.
The EPA estimates that a third of the US citizens are at risk due to unregulated drinking water sources, and still more from lead-contaminated pipes. Flint city officials cut corners to save money. Without the EPA to provide at least some accountability, water utilities nationwide would be even further incentivized to cut costs at the expense of the everyday American.
#4 More endangered animals would go extinct sooner
Without help from the EPA’s Endangered Species Protection Program, the Bald Eagles that symbolize our love of all things American would be perilously close to extinction. Republicans often gripe about the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in particular because they feel it unnecessarily restricts and controls lands, but loss of habitat is a primary cause of extinction. Animals currently on the endangered species list in the US include red wolves, jaguars, and southern sea otters, to name just a few of the cute ones.
Alongside Pruitt at the EPA, Trump’s nomination for Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, has been vocal in his opposition to the ESA. This critical legislation is the reason America is still home to Bald Eagles, Grizzly Bears, and others species whose numbers have dramatically rebounded under the EPA’s protection. Those effects are likely to be reversed if the ESA is scrapped as part of the new cuts to the EPA — which now appears imminent.
#5 American cities could go underwater faster
If climate change continues unchecked, sea level is predicted to rise by over three feet within the current century. For perspective, five feet of sea level rise would place 88% of New Orleans underwater. A hundred years might feel like a long time from now, but kids born in the next ten years will likely still be alive in 2100. The very next generations of Americans will be affected by the climate choices we make today.
The United States is second only to China in terms of global carbon emissions, and Trump is reportedly poised to dramatically reduce the role of climate change considerations in decision-making processes across the government. Without intervention from the EPA, the U.S. is likely to make climate change worse rather than better in the coming years, meaning our coastlines and major cities that are vulnerable to flooding could wind up underwater even sooner than predicted.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that moving forward, we’ll have to take protecting the environment into our own hands.
That’s a huge undertaking, but one simple way to effect change is by leveraging the power of your wallet.
By boycotting corporations that mistreat the environment and supporting businesses that prioritize sustainability, we can collectively send a powerful message.
We created the Nudge for Change app to make it easier than ever to put your money where your beliefs are when it comes to issues like the environment, LGBT equality, equal pay for women, racial equality, boycotting Trump, and workers’ rights.
The app will alert you if you’re about to spend your hard-earned cash in a way that doesn’t align with your core political values, and nudge you toward nearby alternatives you can feel good about supporting. It’s like having a backup for your moral compass on your phone.
Nudge for Change is available for iOS now, and coming soon for Android.
