California Can Fend Off Trump’s Climate Attack. Cities Might Not
An executive order takes aim at state climate initiatives, singling out California, New York and Vermont.
California’s climate strategy program has generated over $28 billion in funding for climate initiatives.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergPresident Donald Trump is targeting some of the country’s most ambitious climate programs, directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to halt enforcement of state climate laws that he claims drive up energy costs and threaten national security. Though California, singled out by Trump, is likely to withstand the attack, the executive order could deter smaller states and cities from taking aggressive action to fight climate change, according to experts.
Trump’s sweeping executive order, issued on Tuesday, takes aim at policies in states including New York, California and Vermont, which fund climate adaptation projects by charging polluters for their greenhouse gas emissions. The order lambasted California’s cap-and-trade program, which sets annual emission limits and allows companies to purchase permits if they exceed their caps. Following the announcement, a wave of state officials vowed to keep pursuing their climate programs.