NJ SIERRA CLUB

WILDWOOD, NJ: President Donald Trump is holding a rally today in Wildwood, New Jersey. Earlier this month, the Trump Administration gutted a major Obama-Era Water of the United States (WOTUS) rule protecting drinking water for 117 million people. Sierra Club and other groups are suing on close to 37 rules Trump is trying to weaken, from coal ash to offshore drilling.

“President Trump is coming here to Wildwood, where his policies are actually threatening Wildwood’s environment and economy. He wants to drill off the coast of Wildwood, threatening our coastal tourism and fisheries. He calls climate change a ‘hoax’, and is trying to get rid of programs that help protect us from climate impacts and sea level rise. He is trying to dismantle fifty years of environmental progress at the EPA. Trump has muzzled scientists and has tried to open up public lands and coasts for mining and drilling,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “People are lining up to support Trump while rallying against their own economy and environment. Wildwood’s fisheries and coastal economy are threatened by climate change as well as oil spills. Wildwood is already seeing fish living in storm drains some roads going under water with every full moon, and we’re losing coastal wetlands at an alarming rate.”

The Trump Administration is making our situation worse by attacking the environment and climate change protections on a national level. He has weakened 24 air pollution rule. He pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement and disbanded the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment.

“New Jersey is one of the most vulnerable states to sea level rise and climate impacts. DEP has projected sea level rise anywhere from 5.0 to 8.8 feet by 2100, which is alarming because Wildwood and our other barrier islands are only 3 feet above sea level. According to a recent Zillow report, New Jersey is top two in the nation for developments in flood prone areas. We are also the second fastest warming state in the nation. Wildwood and other areas in New Jersey want to move forward with renewable energy like offshore wind, but Trump believes that offshore wind causes cancer,” said Tittel. “The only science President Trump and his Administration believes in is science fiction. He has the fictional idea that climate change is not real, but this dangerous delusion puts our communities and families at risk.”

At the end of last year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) intruduced a new Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR). The MOPR will put a surcharge on new renewable energy resources. Elevating the prices of renewable energy resources will prevent them from displacing more expensive dirty energy, like coal and new fracked gas resources. The new rule will cancel out state incentives for clean energy resources, and will raise costs for 65 million consumers as a start.

“Not only is Trump trying to drill off our costs, but the Fossil Fool in the White House is trying to subsidize dirty energy like natural gas and big oil at the expense of clean energy. He is trying to open up our public lands as well as our costs to drilling and mining. He is putting our national treasures at risk by lifting mining restrictions in areas like the Tongass National Forest and Bears Ears and is even pushing uranium mining in areas around the Grand Canyon. Trump’s greedy agenda has sided with corporate polluters with new FERC fossil fuel subsidies that will cost us billions of dollars, changes to NAFTA, and rollbacks to the Clean Power Plan and CAFE,” said Jeff Tittel. “He has pulled out of the Paris Accords and the Clean Power Plan because he is afraid he would have to regulate himself since he is a major source of hot air.”

EPA studies have shown that rolling back the Clean Power Plan would lead to over 1,400 premature deaths and 40,000 cases of asthma each year. The EPA also found that freezing CAFE standards would result in 41,000 deaths and 1.67 million cases of asthma over a decade.

“Some say that Trump’s tweets make them sick, but it is actually his environmental policies and his war on the environment. His own EPA has found that rolling back the Clean Power Plan and freezing CAFE standards will result in over 42,000 premature deaths over a decade. Trump has diminished lead reduction programs, refused to set standards for dozens of toxic chemicals like PFOAS in our drinking water, and failed to completely clean up Superfund sites and deal with the climate impacts to these sites. He won’t enforce the Lautenberg Act and is constantly siding with industry over public safety, playing Russian Roulette with our environment and our health,” said Jeff Tittel. “Trump’s EPA is becoming a polluters agency. They have rolled back 85 environmental regulations, like the Endangered Species Act, and they’re more interested in checking off cleanups on paper than making polluters pay.”

Trump has revoked Obama-era orders to make infrastructure and building standards incorporate sea level rise and flooding projections. He has eliminated the Clean Power Plan, revoked the California Clean Waiver Rule, and increased limits on methane leaks.

“We need to stand up to make sure his actions are not going unchecked. Sierra Club and others are suing on over 40 rules he is trying to weaken, from coal ash to offshore drilling. We are also fighting the administration for hiding scientific reports and holding private meetings with lobbyists, as well as challenging permits for projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline and LNG terminals. Trump is the worst president in history when it comes to the environment, and we must fight back. We have to stand up and continue to fight to protect our planet for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. Trump’s lawlessness and disregard for institutions is putting our environment and safety at risk,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We must keep fighting to make sure our air is clean to breathe, our water is pure to drink, and our open spaces are protected. We must fight to Make America Green Again.”