Will Trump Unleash Energy Dominance Or Damage?

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What changes has the Trump administration made regarding climate change?

Donald Trump 0:50
Every day under the Trump administration, we will continue to lower costs for American families, create jobs for American workers. And very importantly, unlock unlimited amounts of affordable American energy, including beautiful, clean coal.
He has slashed the budgets and shifted the directives of key government agencies, especially when it comes to funding research, regulating pollution, and responding to climate-related disasters. And again, Trump says this is all in service of everyday Americans. But what will be the impact of Trump's actions on those everyday Americans in the future?

How will deregulation affect American energy costs?

For answers, we brought in NPR climate reporters Alejandra Barunda and Lauren Sommer. What do you both think? Yeah, so if you're someone who lives in a coastal community that's prone to hurricanes, or honestly, if you just want to check the weather forecast, then the changes at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, could affect you.
Alejandra Borunda 1:47
Or maybe you're in one of the thousands of communities that are trying to prepare for disasters, you know, like hurricanes or wildfires, and you apply for federal funding, that's completely changing too.
So today we're going to recap these budget cuts and policy changes, focusing on three government agencies that deal with climate and the environment. The EPA, NOAA and FEMA, with an eye towards their real world impacts on the Americans that President Trump says he wants to support. I'm Emily Kwong and you're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.
Lakshmi Singh 2:24
You're listening to the NPR Network.

What impact will budget cuts have on NOAA and climate research?

Alejandra Borunda 2:26
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
Lakshmi Singh 2:28
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NPR Announcer 2:49
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All right, Alejandra, we're going to start with the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, historically, this agency has done a lot. It's been focused on protecting the environment and public health. It has cleaned up hazardous waste, banned certain pesticides, curbed air and water pollution, and It does seem, though, like those types of actions are no longer the primary goal. Yeah, well, so the EPA announced recently that it actually wants to do two things at once now. Protect health, yes, and also, quote unquote, revitalize the American economy. Its new administrator is named Lee Zeldin, and he rolled out a vision that's really focused on deregulation, which is in line with the Trump administration's goals more broadly.
Yeah, deregulation, it often looks like loosening federal restrictions so businesses can operate more freely. Yeah, exactly. And Zeldin has said explicitly that the agency's goal now is to help fulfill Trump's efforts to, quote unquote, unleash American energy. And he says loosening regulations will ease the burden on businesses, which will eventually make it cheaper for Americans to do things like buy new cars or heat their homes.

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