EPA: Greenhouse Emissions Decreased During Trump’s 1st Year in Office

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on Wednesday which found greenhouse gas emissions decreased during President Donald Trump’s first year in office.

This runs counter to the narrative that Trump’s deregulatory agenda would lead to more emissions.

The EPA report revealed that total greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 2.7 percent from 2016 to 2017.

“Thanks to President Trump’s regulatory reform agenda, the economy is booming, energy production is surging, and we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial sources,” EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement.

“These achievements flow largely from technological breakthroughs in the private sector, not the heavy hand of government. The Trump Administration has proven that federal regulations are not necessary to drive CO2 reductions,” Wheeler continued. “While many around the world are talking about reducing greenhouse gases, the U.S. continues to deliver, and today’s report is further evidence of our action-oriented approach.”

The EPA report also found that emission from large power plants declined by 4.5 percent since 2016 and 19.7 percent since 2011.

President Trump’s administration has managed to simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions while removing burdensome regulations that stifle American industry.

The new EPA report runs counter to the leftist narrative that Trump’s unraveling of Obama-era environmental regulations would lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the Trump administration, the EPA proposed a lighter-touch regulatory plan compared to Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) called the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule.

The EPA contends that under the ACE rule, carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. power plan sector will decrease by 34 percent below 2005 emission levels.

The Trump EPA announced in August that they will roll back the Obama-era gas mileage standards. The EPA said that the gas mileage standards have served as a significant factor in the rising cost of cars to an average of $35,000.

Acting Administrator Wheeler, continues to serve as a part of President Trump’s agenda to unravel Obama’s environmental legacy and pursue an America First policy of “energy dominance.”