Trump EPA rollbacks would weaken rules projected to save billions of dollars and thousands of lives

When the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a wide-ranging rollback of environmental regulations, he said it would put a “dagger through the heart of climate-change religion” and introduce a “Golden Age” for the American economy.

What Lee Zeldin didn’t mention: how ending the rules could have devastating consequences to human health.

The EPA-targeted rules could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect, according to an Associated Press examination that included the agency’s own prior assessments as well as a wide range of other research.

It’s by no means guaranteed that the rules will be entirely eliminated; they can’t be changed without going through a federal rulemaking process that can take years and requires public comm