Unmaking Policy for Power: The Climate Endangerment Rollback
THE ACTORS: Who Champions Denial and Deregulation? The key actors in this policy reversal primarily centered around former President Donald Trump and his appointed EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler. Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist and aide to Senator James Inhofe (a prominent climate change denier), exemplified the administration's deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. Other figures include oil
and gas executives who populated advisory boards and donated heavily to Republican campaigns. THE FUNDING: Where Does the Money Flow? Fossil Fuel Lobbying: Energy and natural resource companies poured over $100 million into lobbying efforts in 2017 alone, the first year of the Trump presidency, according to OpenSecrets.org data (OpenSecrets, 2017). This included significant contributions from
coal, oil, and gas sectors directly benefiting from deregulation. Political Donations: Major fossil fuel companies and their executives were significant donors to Trump's campaigns and the Republican National Committee. For example, the oil and gas industry contributed over $100 million to Republican federal candidates and committees in the 2018 election cycle (OpenSecrets, 2018). This funding
directly fueled the political machinery necessary to appoint industry-friendly regulators and push through anti-climate policies. THE INCENTIVES: Why Undermine Climate Science? The incentives are clear: financial gain and enhanced corporate power. The 2009 endangerment finding, established by the Obama administration, provided the legal bedrock for the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions