The Trump administration's stand on the environment has always been controversial, especially with regard to environmental protection, conservation, and climate change.
From a gag order on the dissemination of scientific facts and a lack of urgency to protect an endangered bumblebee species, the Trump administration's choices regarding the environment have been consistently questionable to many.
Now, information is being released that the Environmental Protection Agency is about to get more than a few major changes in the form of executive orders.
Though no specific information has yet been given about the supposed executive orders, two sources who attended a meeting with members of the Trump administration have revealed that they were briefed about future executive orders from the president.
What the contents of the executive orders will be are still unclear, but there seems to be more than a few as the president is reportedly preparing to sign between two to five executive orders that could reshape the agency.
"It was just a heads-up to expect some executive orders, that's it," one of the sources told Reuters.
Trump Administration On The EPA
The Trump administration reportedly refuses to comment on the matter, but this is not the first time that the administration is making questionable choices for the agency.
The president's very pick to head the agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, has been under fire for his alleged ties with the oil industry and is currently being ordered by an Oklahoma Country District Court judge to turn over thousands of email correspondence to a watchdog group.
Though Pruitt has yet to be confirmed as the new head of the EPA, he's already had his share of defiance as EPA staff themselves have been reportedly calling their senators to urge them to vote against the appointment on Friday, Feb. 17.
The stand against Pruitt's appointment stems from the belief that the administration's pick will likely cause a complete reversal of the agency's work so far especially since Pruitt has a history of having sued the very agency multiple times to block some of its regulations.
Environmental Protection In The Trump Era
Even before his election, President Trump has stressed his uncertainty about his stand on environmental protection, especially when it comes to the science of climate change. He has, however, softened his stance on the matter and claims that he will keep an open mind to the climate crisis.
Nevertheless, this pronouncement did not stop Representative Matt Gaetz to write a bill earlier this month that aims to eradicate the EPA altogether.
It is still too early to tell just exactly how these executive orders could reshape the EPA, but it is understandable why many, including the EPA workers themselves, are concerned especially with the administration's current choices for the agency and the very things that it stands for.
