Trump’s Ecological Policies Face Fierce Opposition from 75 U.S. Cities

On March 28, President Donald Trump signed a new executive order ordering the rollback of a large number of environmental policies put into place by the Obama administration. Rules regulating emissions for power plants, methane leaks, the moratorium on federal coal leasing, and consumer-level carbon emissions, are part of the de-regulation called for in the order. But despite this setback to addressing the issue of greenhouse gas emissions, a coalition of 75 U.S. mayors have told Trump that they plan to defy his regressive policies.

The members of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, commonly known as the "Climate Mayors", are a coalition of mayors representing 41 million Americans across 75 cities, including major metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. They have denounced Trump’s regulatory rollbacks, and have announced their own plan to help curb greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Addressing Trump directly, the MNCAA states: "As members of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA), we represent more than 41 million in Americans in 75 cities across our nation – red and blue states alike. We write to strongly object to your actions to roll back critically important U.S. climate policies including the Clean Power Plan and vehicle fuel efficiency standards, as well as proposed budget cuts to the EPA and critical federal programs like Energy Star."

Basically, there’s nothing in Trump’s executive order that would prohibit the MNCAA mayors from enacting their own emissions regulations and eco-friendly agendas. "Nothing can stop us from investing in electric cars and mass transit; from ending our reliance on coal; from installing cool roofs and pavement; or from leading America in solar power," explains Los Angeles Mayor and Climate Mayors co-founder, Eric Garcetti.

"Climate action is also an investment in our economy and job creation – electric vehicles, solar power, energy efficiency and battery storage are all avenues to restoring our nation’s manufacturing base and create good, middle class jobs," Climate Mayors continue in their letter to Trump. "Today, one in fifty American jobs is now in the solar sector, surpassing employment in oil, gas, and coal extraction combined. Texas is once again experiencing an energy boom – this time, with wind power. In fact, the majority of wind jobs in the U.S. are in congressional districts that voted for you."