Fracked: Potential Second Trump Presidency Spells Doomed Dreams For Climate Activists

As uncertainty rises over the upcoming U.S. presidential election, so do questions about what environmental policy will look like during Trump’s possible second term.

Already Off to a Rocky Start

From an assassination attempt on one candidate to another candidate dropping out entirely, the upcoming U.S. presidential election has already been plagued with controversy. One talking point that’s emerged in recent months is how a potential second term with former president Donald Trump will look like through the conservative Project 2025 blueprint.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 is a 920 page document created by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington D.C. think tank known for promoting conservative public policies and helping draft policy plans for Republican administrations, starting with Ronald Reagan in 1981. Project 2025 details proposed policy changes if Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election.

What Has The Current Administration Done for the Environment?

Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, the current administration has accomplished a number of feats involving climate action. The most notable of these actions include signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, which established expanded tax credits for renewable energy production along with providing substantial funding for clean energy initiatives like solar and wind.

Project 2025 Aims to Get Rid of Prior Climate Action Policies

For those wondering if conservatives plan to implement policies that will further combat the ever growing issues associated with climate change, the short answer is no. The proposed plan for environmental policy if Trump is elected for a second term describes incentives that essentially reverse what the Biden administration put in place over the last four years.

Conservatives Want to Restrict How the EPA Operates

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  gets much of its operational power from the “Endangerment Finding”, a legal process that determines whether certain pollutants are harmful to public health. This process is mainly present in curbing emissions of greenhouse gasses through the Clean Air Act. Project 2025 proposes an update to the endangerment finding that removes the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program to benefit small businesses and big companies. This will make it harder for the EPA to determine the level of pollution in the air and combat its effects.

No More Weather Data

Project 2025 also details steps to get rid of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While conservatives like those at the Heritage Foundation say that the NOAA “…should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories,” plays a critical role in not only recording weather data, but also helping scientists and the general public see and understand the effects of climate change in real time.

Inflation Reduction Act = Gone

Remember the Inflation Reduction Act mentioned earlier that aims to invest in renewable energy? Project 2025 plans to get rid of that too. Instead of giving tax credits to nonprofits and programs that work towards reducing carbon emissions through sustainable energy, Project 2025 proposes to give these funds to regulatory agencies in each state. 

Most Republicans Don’t Take Climate Change Seriously

According to a 2023 study from the Pew Research Center, only 23 percent of Republicans consider climate change as a major threat, compared to 78 percent of Democrats. If Trump wins the 2024 presidential election and funding for renewable energy does go to the states, it could cause a major setback in climate action, especially in right-wing states.

More Oil and Natural Gas Drilling in Public Lands

While the United States is home to thousands of national parks, forests and wildlife habitats, conservatives like those at the Heritage Foundation want to allow fossil fuel companies to take advantage of these areas to drill for oil. Some areas that Project 2025 proposes to use for oil and mineral mining are located in parks that the current administration has fought to protect, like the Thompson Divide of the White River National Forest in Colorado.

No More Clean Energy Research Either

Conservatives’ disdain towards renewable energy seems to extend past just its use. The Department of Energy section in Project 2025’s blueprint also mentions eliminating the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) entirely, or if it can’t be completely eliminated, “…focus on broader and more fundamental energy research, consistent with law.” Considering that Project 2025 aims to invest more in fossil fuels, more energy research would likely be centered on them as well.

What is the Overall Consensus of These Policies?

Almost every aspect of Project 2025 has been subject to debate since its publication in 2023, from its plans to further restrict reproductions to proposals of mass deportation of immigrant populations. When it comes to overall opinions of this blueprint’s potential environmental policies, they are not great.

Climate Scientists are Ringing Alarm Bells

In a May 2024 article from the Sierra Club, climate scientist and University of Pennsylvania professor Michael Mann said that if Project 2025 policies are implemented, it would be “game over” for climate action in the U.S. According to Mann, “…global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and avoid catastrophic warming will likely fail” if Trump is elected for a second term.

Environmental Advocates are Panicking

Environmental nonprofits, like Jamie Henn of Fossil Free Media, are also concerned over Project 2025’s environmental plans. As Hann simply put it, “Trump would frack the National Mall if he thought it would make a couple of bucks for donors and Big Oil.”

Even Trump is Distancing Himself from Project 2025

While Trump may be the current “head” of the conservative movement, he supposedly doesn’t know anything about Project 2025. During a July 2024 presidential campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump mentioned that while he knows of the Heritage Foundation, he believes they are “…very, very conservative” and that their proposals are extreme.

Former Trump Administrators Were Part of Drafting Project 2025

Despite Trump’s supposed rejection of the Project 2025 blueprint, some of the key writers were former members of his administration. Some notable writers include Paul Dans, who served as chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management under Trump, and Mandy Gunasekara, who was the former chief of staff of the EPA during the Trump Administration.

Trump and Harris are Neck and Neck

Despite the controversies associated with Trump and Project 2025, polls currently show him at close standing with Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. As of August 16, the New York Times shows Trump at a polling average of 47 percent compared to Harris at 49 percent. 

Change Starts at the Voting Booth

For those concerned about Project 2025 and its potential effects on the environment, the most important action to prevent these policies from becoming reality is to vote in this upcoming election. 

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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Jonah Elkowitz.

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