Trump Wants the Power to Stop the Public From Suing Polluters
Business groups say most employers already protect workers, while labor groups warn a weaker federal standard could leave millions without clear heat safeguards.
- The Trump administration is rewriting Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules for workplace heat, modifying Biden-era mandates for water and shade access with revisions planned by year's end; businesses lauded the move, though labor groups warn it could weaken protections.
- OSHA lacks specific rules for extreme heat despite rising global temperatures driven by climate change; labor groups warn the true toll of heat-related illnesses remains unknown, leaving workers to bear the burden of flagging dangers themselves.
- Data released in February by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. showed a 20% decline in Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections over a six-month period last year; the administration has curtailed the focused heat inspection program initiated by Biden-era appointees.
- In a case against artificial intelligence company xAI founded by Elon Musk, the Justice Department is challenging citizen suit provisions, arguing that enforcement should rest solely with the executive branch even if the government opts to take no action.
- This shift undermines the ability of individuals to use citizen suits to enforce environmental laws, which legal experts view as part of a broader effort to consolidate power within the executive branch when federal oversight falls short.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Trump Administration Works to Block Citizen Suits From Enforcing Environmental Protection Laws
Republished with permission from The Conversation, by Sarah J. Morath, Wake Forest University Reducing rampant pollution across the United States was so important that when Congress passed many environmental protection laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, it didn’t want to leave enforcement only to the executive branch. Congress specifically wrote into those laws ways for citizens to enforce them throug…
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Trump administration moves to block public from enforcing environmental protection laws
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
West Hawaii Today
The Seattle TimesTrump Administration is undoing plans to boost workplace heat protections
WASHINGTON — Republicans in Washington are taking steps to roll back federal workplace heat protections as summer temperatures surge. The post Trump Administration is undoing plans to boost workplace heat protections appeared first on West Hawaii Today.
Trump Is Working To Make It Easier For You To Die From Heat
While many of us are sweating it out during the record heat this summer, Donald Trump and his GOP minions have been working – in their air-conditioned offices, no doubt – to undo Biden-era rules designed to protect workers without that luxury. “The Trump administration is moving to rewrite Biden-era rules that would mandate breaks and access to water and shade for workers,” The New York Times reported on Saturday. Not to be undone in the pro-dea…
Coyote Gulch
Cobb County CourierTrump administration moves to block public from enforcing environmental protection laws
A citizen-initiated lawsuit under the Clean Air Act forced a cleanup at ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas, refinery and chemical complex. AP Photo/Ashley Landis Sarah J. Morath, Wake Forest University Reducing rampant pollution across the United States was so important that when Congress passed many environmental protection laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, it didn’t want to leave enforcement only to the e…
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