Over 30 rules are being reconsidered by the Environmental Protection Agency including rules to protect the nation’s air and water, along with efforts to combat climate change. The move comes as the Trump administration continues to slash federal funding promised to cities and states, and cut the federal workforce.
EPA Commissioner Lee Zeldin said last week that the move to cut regulations at the agency would “roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden ‘taxes’ on U.S. families.”
Speaking Tuesday by the Connecticut River in Hartford, state officials and environmentalists disagreed. They said the rollbacks to regulations would undo progress to address harmful pollutants to public health and the environment.
“We're going to do everything we can as a state to continue to fight to protect our air and our water,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “But there's only so much we can do as a state. We have to work together as a region. We have to work together as a country.”
Ruth Canovi, Connecticut director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, which tracks air quality across the country, said Connecticut’s air has improved in recent decades.
“Because the Clean Air Act works,” Canovi said. “It grants the EPA the ability to implement science-backed regulations and partner with states to help improve air quality and hold polluters accountable.”
Among the major rules Zeldin proposed slashing is the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which declared greenhouse gases are warming up and harming the planet. The more recent “Good Neighbor” rule is also up for possible reconsideration – and was adopted in 2023 to protect downwind states, like Connecticut, that bear the brunt of much of the nation’s air pollution.
But reversing the over two-dozen EPA rules requires input from other agencies and the public, and could also fall before the courts, as NPR has reported.
While Connecticut has taken steps to reduce air pollution, Katie Dykes, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says residents in cities are still disproportionately affected by bad air. She fears that if the federal rollbacks happen, people, especially those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, would pay the price when it comes to their health.
“Trips to the emergency room, days off of work, days out of school. These are the hidden ‘taxes’ that Connecticut kids and families are paying every day,” Dykes said.
The American Lung Association's 2024 “State of the Air” report card gave Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London Counties the worst grade for ground-level ozone, which can cause serious health issues.
Lori Brown, who leads the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, said the work needs to continue on a state level, too.
“Our state leaders, and especially our state laws, are critical right now, they're the firewall to prevent deterioration of our environmental protections by the Trump administration,” Brown said. “Right now, there are efforts at the Connecticut State Legislature that can strengthen our own laws.”
Among the bills state lawmakers are considering include adopting the legal right to a healthy environment, as part of the state constitution.
“Unfortunately, pollution, like COVID, doesn't know any state borders,” Lamont said. “Which is why it's so important that we stand up, stand up to the legal process, stand up through our state legislature and make sure that your voices are heard.”
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