The Trump Administration’s February 2025 News In Review
Controversial Confirmations
The confirmations of Doug Burgum as Interior Secretary, Chris Wright as Energy Secretary, Lee Zeldin as EPA Administrator, and Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary raised concerns among environmentalists due to their ties to industries that often conflict with environmental conservation. Additionally, Neil Jacobs was appointed as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) after he was cited for misconduct during the first Trump presidency. These appointments suggested the administration might continue prioritizing profits and corporate interests over our planet and our people, potentially undermining historic climate and environmental protection efforts.
Department of the Interior
On his first day as Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum signed six orders that have profound environmental consequences. The orders are intended to increase domestic energy production by giving priority to fossil fuel exploration on federal lands and waters, including on the Outer Continental Shelf, which could accelerate climate change and damage vulnerable ecosystems and endangered species. These orders can have long-term environmental implications, including biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and more. Read the official press release here.
GulfLink and SPOT Given Green Light
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) approval of the Texas GulfLink deepwater port is extremely troubling on both environmental and environmental justice grounds. GulfLink increases America’s oil export capacity at a time when we need to address the progressing climate crisis and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. Off the Texas coast, the initiative involves infrastructure that has the potential to increase the environmental hazard in the region, including the risk of oil spills and impacts to endangered and vulnerable marine life. Located less than 7 miles away, the Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) project, a proposed U.S. offshore oil export terminal, has been aiming for a 2027 start date after receiving its deepwater port license from MARAD in April 2024. Read a G Captain article here.
Governor’s Spearheading Permitting Reform Working Group
At the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting, Governors Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, along with other state leaders, pushed for permitting reforms to expedite infrastructure projects. While there is bipartisan support for an expedited permitting process, particularly when it comes to energy related projects, there is concern surrounding the environmental and environmental justice implications, emphasizing that streamlining the process could undermine critical safeguards for ecosystems and frontlines communities. Governors Shapiro and Stitt created a bipartisan working group to address top issues on permitting reform, infrastructure acceleration, and energy resilience, specifically in the context of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), judicial review, and transmission siting. Read the official press release here.
Mass Firings Hit NOAA, NPS, Forest Service
The Trump administration has instructed several federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service. The mass firings disproportionately target probationary and newly hired employees and threaten essential public services, including weather forecasting, forest management, and park upkeep. Additionally, essential environmental duties will be left underfunded and understaffed. Analysts predict the terminations will have long-term consequences for national security, environmental stewardship, and management of public lands while exacerbating current strains on already under-funded agencies. The move also raises concerns about the loss of expertise and deterioration of trust between the federal government and vulnerable communities, including tribal nations.
Trump’s Army Corps Pushes to Expedite Environmental Reviews for 600 “Emergency” Projects
The Army Corps of Engineers identified over 600 energy and other infrastructure projects, predominantly fossil fuel, that could be fast-tracked under Trump’s national energy emergency declaration, raising serious environmental and environmental justice concerns. Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline and new LNG export terminals are among the projects that have the potential to harm vulnerable communities, particularly those already bearing disproportionate burdens. By avoiding mandated environmental assessments, public health can be threatened, local water sources can become contaminated, and the cycle of environmental injustice can persist. Read a USA Today article here.
