Ep. 16: And Environmental Justice For All?

In this episode of Trump on Earth, we talk with environmental justice lawyer Lisa Garcia, who was senior adviser to the administrator for Environmental Justice at the EPA during the Obama Administration. Garcia explains just what environmental justice is, why we need it, and how she plans to keep fighting the good fight in spite of the cuts.

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 14: Will This Land Still Be Your Land?

More than one-third of the country is federally-owned. That means it belongs to all of us -- the public. But that also gives the President a lot of power over these places. Today we’re taking a closer look at what’s at stake, and what we can expect next for our public lands. 

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 8: Deconstructing the EPA

Trumpism may not be the most coherent of political philosophies. But when White House strategist Steve Bannon recently told a crowd of conservative activists that one of their major goals is “deconstruction of the administrative state,” he brought into focus a theme that may very well come to define a large part of the Trump era. In fact, we’re already starting to see it take shape at the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 7: POTUS versus WOTUS

On everything from healthcare to immigration, President Trump has been busy doing 180s on Obama-era policy. This week, he set his sights on a controversial expansion of the Clean Water Act known as the Waters of the U.S. Rule, or WOTUS. But pulling the plug might not be so easy.

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 6: Postscript at Standing Rock

There are still chapters to be written in the larger fight over the Dakota Access pipeline. But as of Thursday, the months-long protest encampment at Standing Rock is no more. So what have we learned? And could the historic protest be a prelude to larger national conversations on energy, Native American sovereignty and climate change?

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 5: See You in Court

If the first three weeks are any guide, expect the U.S. court system to be busier than ever in the Trump era. And that may mean Trump’s pick for Supreme Court could be key in deciding the fate of major shifts in policy — including on the environment.

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Trump on Earth
Ep. 2: What's Up with Trump and the EPA?

It’s been a week of big changes — and turmoil — at the Environmental Protection Agency. First, President Trump ordered a freeze on EPA grants and contracts and barred anyone at the agency from communicating with the public. Then, in a stance which flies in the face of the agency’s current scientific integrity policy, a White House official announced that EPA research may be subject to review by the administration. Seriously, you keeping up? So to get some perspective on it all, we reached out to Christine Todd Whitman, former head of the EPA under George W. Bush.

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Ep. 1: What Trump Can (and Can't) Do

As of Friday’s inauguration, we can now say ‘President Donald Trump’, and that new status could have far-reaching implications for the environment. While campaigning, Trump said he would make some big changes to environmental regulations, including spearheading an overhaul of the Environmental Protection Agency. That sounds like a big claim. But what exactly can Donald Trump do when it comes to the country’s environmental laws and rules? That is, what does he actually have the power to do as President? We put that question to Jody Freeman, the founding director of Harvard’s Environmental Law Program. 

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