--- title: Environmental Protection Agency: Bill Would End EPA description: The proposal may grab attention, but it really acts as a red herring that distracts from the much more insidious—and more likely—threat canonical: https://time.com/4673233/epa-elimination-donald-trump-scott-pruitt/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-16T18:05:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:17:23.423Z article:section: Politics og:title: No, Trump Isn't Eliminating the EPA. But He Might Do This og:description: A bill went viral online, but environmentalists fear a different threat. og:url: https://time.com/4673233/epa-elimination-donald-trump-scott-pruitt/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce1c0d9f82a530c3/6988baaa4dd21587c4efdcbc/epa-elimination-donald-trump.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4273 og:image:height: 2404 og:image:alt: epa elimination donald trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: No, Trump Isn't Eliminating the EPA. But He Might Do This twitter:description: A bill went viral online, but environmentalists fear a different threat. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce1c0d9f82a530c3/6988baaa4dd21587c4efdcbc/epa-elimination-donald-trump.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # No, President Trump Isn't Going to Eliminate the EPA. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=3b7092a9-c91d-4667-9a02-fe7b5d1c70cd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U3bhooK6.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2016-11-15. Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that environmentalism is not his priority. Now, Climate scientists, policymakers and diplomats are questioning how his presidency will shape the future of climate change policy._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 16, 2017 6:05 PM UTC Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that environmentalism is not his priority. Now, Climate scientists, policymakers and diplomats are questioning how his presidency will shape the future of climate change policy.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 16, 2017 6:05 PM UTC The [entire text of the bill](https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr861/BILLS-115hr861ih.pdf) was short enough to fit in a tweet: “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.” And like a tweet, it [quickly](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/15/1634007/-The-Environmental-Protection-Agency-shall-terminate-on-December-31-2018) [spread](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/15/1634007/-The-Environmental-Protection-Agency-shall-terminate-on-December-31-2018) across the [internet](http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/02/06/introduced-into-the-house-h-r-861-to-terminate-the-environmental-protection-agency/), with anxious environmentalists and scientists [sharing](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/5sdxut/what%5Fare%5Fthe%5Fchances%5Fof%5Fhr861%5Fto%5Fterminate%5Fthe/) links to H.R. 861 [out of concern](http://www.snopes.com/2017/02/06/florida-lawmakers-bill-terminate-environmental-protection-agency/) that Republicans in Congress would take it up. In reality, the proposed bill is going nowhere. Introduced by a freshman lawmaker less than a month into his first term with just three cosponsors, it’s a classic example of what is known as a “messaging bill” designed solely to get attention. Unwinding a huge federal agency would take more than a single sentence. But that doesn’t mean that the EPA is safe. In fact, some of the agency’s defenders worry that it faces a far more stealthy threat of being hollowed out. President Trump’s choice to run the agency, Oklahoma Attorney General [Scott Pruitt](http://time.com/4637905/epa-scott-pruitt-global-warming/), is known for targeting the agency with more than a dozen lawsuits. Environmental groups and policymakers fear Pruitt will dismantle many of the agency’s core functions methodically over time rather than trying to knock out the agency with one fell swoop. He will almost certainly try to unravel the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s primary regulation aimed at addressing climate change, a multi-year process that could require careful reconsideration of legal and scientific arguments. He might also weaken—or shutter altogether—the EPA’s enforcement office, according to an _Inside EPA_ [report](https://insideepa.com/daily-news/trump-epa-weighs-shuttering-enforcement-office-prospects-unclear). **Read More:** [_EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Acknowledges Global Warming But Wants to Restrain the Agency_](http://time.com/4637905/epa-scott-pruitt-global-warming/?iid=sr-link3) Of course, the GOP-controlled Congress and Trump will also help. Congress has already undone several Obama-era regulations using the [Congressional Review Act](http://time.com/4657438/congressional-republicans-environmental-regulations-coal-streams/?iid=sr-link1) and could vote to weaken a slew of other environmental protections. Trump will [reportedly](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-idUSKBN15U2MW) sign several executive orders at the agency next week, though the details remain unclear. That means that significant legislation with provisions supported across the aisle would be left without any agency to implement and enforce them. Those laws include the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and [Toxic Substances Control Act](http://time.com/4348103/tsca-congress-chemical-reform/?iid=sr-link1), all of which draw at bipartisan support for at least some of their measures. Even President Donald Trump, who suggested on the campaign trail that he might end the agency, has since recognized that it carries out important functions. The Sierra Club—along with a slew of environmental organizations—condemned the proposed legislation, but acknowledged what Trump could do to environmental protection. “The more pernicious threat we face is the confirmation of someone like Scott Pruitt, who has been a foe of the organization he’s been nominated to lead,” Melinda Pierce, the legislative director of the Sierra Club, [told the Palm Beach _Post_.](http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/florida-congressman-gets-little-traction-legislation-abolish-epa/eRqNfdiat9JEoo1E4O0xHM/) ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax. It'll get cooler, it'll get warmer. It's called weather. Now that he's President- elect, here's what at stake for the future of the environment. Thank you. Paris Agreement which was negotiated last year and came into effect just a few weeks ago was a monumental step for addressing climate change. And setting a path forward for the coming decades to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Donald Trump has promised to cancel the Paris agreement, or at the very least, renegotiate it. Stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN Global Warming Programs. He does not have the authority to cancel it. It's an agreement with more than 190 countries. He also doesn't have the power to withdraw from it. Immediately at least, it would take at least three years to go through those processes. He does have the power to ignore it. It's unlikely that other countries will feel comfortable making big reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions, if the United States is not taking the lead. Another policy at stake is Obama's clean power plan. [ APPLAUSE ] Single most important step America has ever taken in the fight against global Climate change. Trump has said that he would cancel it. Environmental Protection, what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations. He has the authority to do that. He could direct the EPA to eliminate the clean power plan. We'll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can't destroy businesses He will definitely if he does face litigation from environmental groups that will argue that it's the EPA's role to do that. It's a long winding process. And certainly not something that he's going to be able to accomplish in his first 100 days. Environmentalists are trying to remain Optimistic and looking at a lot of the market trends that have resulted in the reduction in coal power and other greenhouse gas emissions. A lot of it is outside of the realm of regulation. But also trying to stay optimistic about the Paris agreement. Some of them say even if Donald Trump Withdraws, they are confident that other countries will step up to the plate. I'm 16 years old from Mwanza, Tanzania. Looking forward, there's a lot of things that Trump can do to slow progress on climate change, but many of the trends he doesn't have control over. So there is reason for optimism if you're looking in the long- term. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4673233/epa-elimination-donald-trump-scott-pruitt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4673233/epa-elimination-donald-trump-scott-pruitt/"},"headline":"No, President Trump Isn't Going to Eliminate the EPA. 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