Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
The Trump administration negotiated its fourth deal paying energy companies to forfeit offshore wind farm development leases. The administration used federal funds or lease buybacks to convince companies to abandon renewable energy projects in U.S. waters. This action reduces planned offshore wind capacity and shifts energy development away from clean energy sources.
The Trump Justice Department intervened in federal court on behalf of Elon Musk's xAI company, which faces an NAACP lawsuit alleging illegal air pollution from its Colossus Gas Plant powering a data center in Memphis. The move protects a major Trump-aligned corporate figure from environmental compliance enforcement. Communities near the facility face continued air quality violations without regulatory accountability.
The Trump administration canceled two permitted US wind energy projects and agreed to refund millions to the companies if they reinvest in oil and gas development instead. This action shifts federal energy policy away from renewable energy toward fossil fuels, reducing clean energy infrastructure and investment opportunities for American companies.
Trump administration officials terminated a federal criminal investigation into potential Clean Water Act violations by coal mining operations owned by Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), a close presidential ally. The killed investigation had examined multistate mining operations run largely by Justice's son, removing legal jeopardy for a major Republican donor and Senate ally.
On July 29, 2020, the Trump administration signed an authorization allowing TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to operate and maintain existing pipeline facilities at the international boundary between the United States and Canada. The action permits continued operation of pipeline infrastructure at the US-Canada border crossing. The direct effect was to enable ongoing crude oil transport across the US-Canada border through existing Keystone Pipeline facilities.
On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed Proclamation 10049, which reduced the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument from approximately 4,913 square miles to 8,581 acres off the coast of New England. The proclamation eliminated protections that had prohibited commercial fishing, including lobster fishing, within the monument boundaries. The reduction opened approximately 4,904 square miles of previously protected ocean to commercial fishing activities.
President Trump signed Proclamation 10012 on May 29, 2020, designating June 2020 as Great Outdoors Month. The proclamation encouraged Americans to explore and appreciate outdoor spaces and natural resources. The proclamation had no regulatory effect and did not alter existing environmental policy or law.
President Trump signed Proclamation 10012 on May 29, 2020, designating June 2020 as National Ocean Month. The proclamation acknowledges ocean resources and directs federal attention to ocean-related policies and initiatives during that month. The proclamation has no direct statutory effect on Americans but serves as a formal recognition of ocean conservation and economic interests.
On April 14, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13915, which established the order of succession for positions within the Department of the Interior. The order designates which officials assume leadership if the Secretary of the Interior becomes unable to perform duties. This affects the chain of command for managing federal lands, natural resources, and Native American affairs.
On February 19, 2020, the Trump administration signed Memorandum 2020-04089 directing federal agencies to increase water supplies to California. The memorandum instructed the Department of Interior and Army Corps of Engineers to maximize water deliveries through state and federal water projects. Confirmed effects included increased water allocations to Central Valley agricultural and urban water districts in 2020.