Trump Administration Actions and Potential Impact on Transport Decarbonization

Topic

Proposed Change

Endangerment Finding

Jan 20^th Executive Order directs the Administrator of the EPA to “submit joint recommendations to the Director of OMB on the legality and continuing applicability” of the GHG Endangerment findings previously published under the 2009 final rule.

The EPA will eliminate the “social cost of carbon” calculation from any regulatory decision.

California Waivers

Citing the failure of the Biden administration to alert Congress on rules with “extremely consequential actions that have massive impacts and costs across the entire United States”, the Trump EPA is submitting waivers for several of California’s emission standards to Congress.

Removal of EV mandates and incentives

The Jan 20^th Executive Order eliminates mandates and subsidies which unfairly promote EVs over gas-powered vehicles.

It also directs agencies to develop action plans to suspend, revise, or rescind all agency actions that limit consumer choice of vehicles.

Encouragement of domestic energy

Revoked Executive Order 14008 of January 27, 2021 which committed the US to the Paris agreement and established goal of decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2035.

Jan 20^th Executive Order directs agencies to review all recent actions which limit the development of domestic energy resources – oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical minerals, and nuclear

Establish US as leading producer of non-fuel minerals including rare earth minerals.

De-Funding BIL/IRA

All grants and loans disbursed through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are frozen.

Tariffs

25% additional tariffs announced on “all” imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China.

The USTR is currently taking comments on these proposed actions.

Trump has signaled 25% tariffs on imported automobiles starting April.

Environmental Justice

The administration has revoked Executive Order 14096 of April 21, 2023, which mandates that all executive branch agencies incorporate environmental justice into their missions and decision-making processes and created the White House Office of Environmental Justice.

The EPA has put placed nearly 200 people working on EJ programs on leave.

Staffing Changes

Implemented under the “workforce optimization initiative” by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), workers at EPA, DOE and NHTSA are being laid off. These cuts are starting with employees on probationary status.