Reckless and dangerous

This week, Trump-appointed EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced a radical plan to undermine virtually all federal climate protections by officially rejecting consensus scientific views on the harmful health and climate effects of greenhouse gas pollution. He said his proposal “would, if finalized, amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” erasing the EPA’s authority to place limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, oil and gas drilling, and the tailpipes of cars and trucks. Reacting to the news, political scientist Norm Ornstein called Zeldin “simply a monster… reckless, dangerous, and disgusting.” Oregon Governor Kotek and Washington Governor Ferguson joined other state and national leaders in opposing the EPA’s reckless move and pledging to keep their states at the forefront of the clean energy transition in line with climate science. Climate advocates, including law firm Earthjustice, have promised to challenge the EPA move in court. 

More expensive, less resilient

This latest attack on climate progress comes less than a month after Congress passed Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” whose energy provisions amount to a huge new tax on the US energy economy. Rolling back a host of clean energy incentives, grants, loans and tax credits, the law is expected to cut the nation’s GDP by $960 billion, eliminate 770,000 clean energy jobs, and forego 300 gigawatts of direly needed new power generation, as many planned projects are shelved. It will also spike household and business energy bills. This is especially true because the all-out assault on solar and wind power target the most affordable energy resources being built nationally. In a roundtable with policymakers last week, the CEO of Seattle City Light projected that local consumers “can expect to see significant rate increases for probably the next 10 to 12 years,” thanks to federal clean energy cutbacks. 

Where the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act was intended to dramatically reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming, the Trump bill will do precisely the opposite—repealing spending on climate resilience measures and investing in more dirty fossil fuel production. By itself, the law will measurably increase US climate emissions over the next several years. 

It is not easy to understand the administration’s evident antipathy toward clean energy, although Trump’s dislike of wind power is well-known. The administration’s staffing cuts and tariffs are imperiling even geothermal energy—a renewable source whose subsidies were actually spared in the megabill, and which has enjoyed wide bipartisan support. Here’s an online tool tracking many climate and clean energy projects’ progress faced with Trump administration rollbacks.

Data centers boom 

Data centers have been popping up all over the nation, not only taking up substantial real estate but also energy & water resources. Citizens in the surrounding neighborhoods of the data centers have had to contend with higher bills, lower water pressure, and pollution, as some residents are already reporting sediment in their drinking water. The pollution varies by power source for the data center, like the one near Memphis, TN, owned by Elon Musk, which uses methane gas and has run into community opposition due to increased air pollution. Data centers continue to consume more electricity, meaning a deeper strain on power grids and triggering energy rate hikes across the nation.

The question of regulation and who should pay the cost (data centers or residents in surrounding regions) is hitting legislatures nationwide. With these facilities simultaneously inflating household bills and draining local water reserves, voters have already demanded that their representatives enforce protections, stricter conservation standards, and price controls to shield communities from unchecked industrial growth, from Oregon to Ohio to Pennsylvania. 

BIPOC farmers, and environmental programs brace for impact as cuts hit

This month, we are seeing the hit on BIPOC farmers and their essential contributions in agriculture and the environment; another blatant display of the roots and tentacles of systemic racism. Capital B has an in-depth dive on this and cites: “This month the USDA has claimed that all support will end, and that they have sufficiently addressed its history of discrimination through litigation that has resulted in settlements, relief, and reforms.” This has transformed the already harmful gaps into caverns in reaching for equitable restoration and reform. Immediately following the 2025 inauguration, the new administration announced deep funding cuts impacting nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies engaged in social and healing justice work, particularly initiatives serving BIPOC farmers. On a local level here in the NW, these cuts directly threaten several groups working on climate and environmental justice at the intersection of race-based discrimination, who could now require urgent community and state support.

The discrimination leans intensely toward the Black American population of landowners and farmers. What’s worse is the fact that many of their crops and land had been specifically in production for USAID initiatives (programs that were dismantled before the cuts even took effect, nullifying their intended purpose). As of July 2025, this program has been entirely eliminated, making it clear that every region of the country must figure out how to step up for its own programs. Mobilizing community care, other avenues of funding will be essential to preserve these vital programs.

 What we’re listening to!

This week on What we’re listening to: Essential but Exposed: Protecting Latino Workers in Yakima & Fresno by Eco Poder, a podcast focused on environmental justice for the Latinx communities. This particular episode features organizations working to help frontline communities facing labor and climate crises. They interview Lucero Mendez, Washington Regional Organizer, and Claudia Gracia, California Environmental Organizer, as they discuss the various challenges they encounter in Yakima and Fresno, and detail how people are becoming involved in activism in these communities. This podcast is bilingual.