The Trump administration has launched a massive deregulation effort, aiming to rewrite protections against air, water, and chemical pollutants, sparking widespread criticism and promises of legal action from advocacy groups. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed 31 actions to roll back pollution regulations for power plants, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, cars and trucks, factories, and more.

The move has been met with fierce opposition from environmental organizations, who claim that the proposed changes would gut environmental and health protections in the US. Michael Gerrard, faculty director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, described the proposals as a "cluster bomb of moves to demolish a broad swath of environmental regulations."

The EPA plans to "reconsider" a broad swath of regulations, including those related to mercury, toxic air pollutants, soot, wastewater, and the chemicals used in the workplace, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. The agency is also working to claw back $20 billion of Biden-era federal funding aimed at reducing greenhouse gas pollution. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has been vocal about the administration's stance on climate change, stating that they are "driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion" to drive down the cost of living for American families.

However, critics argue that the proposed measures would have devastating consequences for public health and the environment. The American Lung Association estimates that federal standards for soot pollution alone would lead to $46 billion in net health benefits and prevent 290,000 lost workdays and 4,500 premature deaths by 2032. The organization has vowed to "use every tool in our toolbox to defend these lifesaving protections and protect the health of families."

The Sierra Club and environmental law organization Earthjustice have also pledged to fight the proposed rollbacks "tooth and nail." Earthjustice stated that they expect to see the administration in court if the EPA undoes settled law and irrefutable facts. The American Lung Association's Harold Wimmer emphasized that the EPA's leadership cannot undo existing clean air protections with a simple announcement, and that the agency must follow the law and go through a process to reconsider or revoke them.

The Trump administration's efforts to roll back environmental regulations are not new, with President Trump having managed to roll back around 100 environmental regulations during his first term in office. However, this time around, the administration is moving much quicker to enact sweeping changes. The wrecking ball that Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk have taken to federal agencies could also make it harder to implement their agenda at the EPA.

In order to revoke or revise a regulation, the EPA needs a new regulation, which requires skilled staff to write detailed explanations to justify such drastic changes in the agency's position. Courts could invalidate new rules without those explanations, and it's unclear who would be left at the agency to do that work as the Trump administration slashes the federal workforce. The EPA has already fired hundreds of staffers, and Trump has floated and walked back the idea of cutting 65 percent of the agency's staff.

Former EPA administrator and White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy described the announcements as "the most disastrous day in EPA history," stating that the agency has "fully abdicated its mission to protect Americans' health and wellbeing." McCarthy accused the Trump administration of doing the bidding of their fossil fuel friends, citing the president's receipt of over $75 million from oil and gas interests during his campaign.

The proposed rollbacks have sparked widespread outrage, with many expecting a long and contentious legal battle ahead. As the EPA faces logistical challenges and legal hurdles, it remains to be seen whether the administration will be able to implement its sweeping changes to environmental regulations.