Trump Has a Terrifying New Plan to Poison the Air, Water, Humans

[babylonsister]

Trump Has a Terrifying New Plan to Poison the Air, Water, Humans
The EPA has drafted a proposal that would all but make it impossible to enact public health regulations.
By Bess Levin
November 12, 2019


At present the government formulates public health regulations, like those concerning clean air and water, based on scientific studies showing links between pollution and disease. For instance, we have rules surrounding mercury because studies conclusively proved that mercury from power plants negatively affects brain development, and rules concerning lead because of the data showing that lead in paint or dust can lead to behavioral disorders in children. The Trump administration, though, doesn’t like science or regulations, because they‘re impediments to Donald Trump’s industry cronies making as much money as possible, human health be damned. And now, his Environmental Protection Agency has found a nifty way to get rid of both in a move that is uniquely evil, even for this uniquely evil administration.

Per the New York Times, the EPA has drafted a proposal called “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science,” which sounds well and good, but, of course, does the exact opposite of what the title suggests. According to the proposal, in order for an academic study’s conclusions to be considered, scientists would be required to disclose all of their raw data, including confidential medical records. Naturally, rather than lead to more “transparency,” the requirement would significantly limit medical and scientific research, which is, of course, the point. That would then make it extremely difficult to create new rules because tons of studies demonstrating links between pollution and disease are based on health information obtained under confidentiality agreements. And here’s the kicker: Not only would the proposal affect regulations moving forward, but it could retroactively apply to old ones too:

Public health experts warned that studies that have been used for decades...might be inadmissible when existing regulations come up for renewal. For instance, a groundbreaking 1993 Harvard University project that definitively linked polluted air to premature deaths, currently the foundation of the nation’s air-quality laws, could become inadmissible. When gathering data for their research, known as the Six Cities study, scientists signed confidentiality agreements to track the private medical and occupational histories of more than 22,000 people in six cities. They combined that personal data with home air-quality data to study the link between chronic exposure to air pollution and mortality.

“This means the EPA can justify rolling back rules or failing to update rules based on the best information to protect public health and the environment, which means more dirty air and more premature deaths,” Paul Billings, senior vice president for advocacy at the American Lung Association, told the Times. Michael Halpern, deputy director for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, was even more blunt in his assessment: “It was hard to imagine that they could have made this worse, but they did,” he said. “This is a wholesale politicization of the process.” The Medical Library Association and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries said the proposal “contradicts our core values,” while the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” that the rule would ultimately result “in weaker environmental and health protections and greater risks to children’s health.” But screw the kids, right? And their meddlesome adult minders too!

more...

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/donald-trump-epa-public-health-science

[liberalmuse]

1. He's checking off the GOP wish list.

I hate when all the credit goes to Trump. He's the Republican's puppet doing their bidding. I want everyone to know who is really responsible for our Constitutional crisis. It is the GOP. Without them, there is no way in hell Trump would ever get close to the White House. Their racism and wedge issues over the past half century is why we are the way we are. They and their propaganda stations are the reason millions of Americans have rotting brains.

[Garrett78]

3. Agreed. Everyone needs to recognize that the Republican Party is the problem. Not just Trump.

[DENVERPOPS]

7. Right on Garrett78

The Republicans are using Trump as a daily diversion with them working in the background to trash everything we know and hold dear.

AND, the keystone of the entire mess is the Republican Senators who are in lockstep to pass whatever they want, and to protect everything that the Republican Party has done in the past 20-40 years. They also protect Trump no matter what it takes.
He is their front man.........

[kimbutgar]

2. I'm glad I live in California

Especially In San Francisco, we take great pride in our water and one can visit where they test and treat the water.

That said aren’t republicans considered about the water they consume? Seems like the next Democratic candidate for president needs to point this out in every speech and confront mf45 in the debates about this subject. Clean and safe drinking water should be non partisan.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

10. They dont

Care how dirty the water is they can afford the best purification money can buy. They are sociopaths and the entire gop has to be kicked out of government. They don't even want a government so why is the GOP even there?
When it's said they want to shrink, undermine the government they should have been shown the door. All gop is traitous and they are a bunch of greedy psychopaths.

[lordsummerisle]

4. Hopefully

legal action will tie this up before it ever happens.

[Blue_true]

5. Anything like this that they do, we can reverse.

We just need to get past our small differences and win the White House and all of Congress. Once our side has control, every Trump era rule, executive order, regulation change has as much value as used toilet paper. And if they make stuff retroactive, we can look at making penalties for companies that ignored public health retroactive.

[JoeOtterbein]

6. K n R !

[MFM008]

8. sue the treason monkeys EPA

out of their ever loving minds.

[NoMoreRepugs]

9. So much wasted time, effort and money fighting these

fucking Republicans to save future generations - small wonder I have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with any of my conservative relatives.