The Impact of Recent Executive Orders on U.S. Environmental Policy
By: Natalie Wienold
Recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump have significantly altered the trajectory of U.S. environmental policy, reversing several initiatives from previous administrations and introducing new regulatory frameworks. These changes primarily focus on deregulation, energy production, ecological justice, and international climate commitments. This article examines the key executive actions and their potential implications for environmental policy.
Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
One of the most consequential executive orders President Trump has signed in 2025 so far was Executive Order 14162, which withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming.[1] It was first adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, in 2015 and came into force the following year.[2] The goal of the Paris Agreement is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels.”[3] This works by the countries working together to determine, plan, and report their contributions toward their mission of reducing greenhouse gases on a global level.
The Paris Agreement establishes that developed countries should take the lead in providing financial assistance to countries that are less endowed and more vulnerable.[4] The financial aspect of the Paris Agreement is crucial, as climate finance plays a key role in mitigation and adaptation, and requires large-scale investments to significantly reduce emissions.[5]
As President Trump issued Executive Order 14162, entitled “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,” he stated that the administration’s policy was to “put the interests of the United States and the American people first in the development and negotiation of any international agreements with the potential to damage or stifle the American economy.”[6] This marks the second time the United States has exited the agreement under Trump’s leadership after his first presidency in 2016, reinforcing his administration’s commitment to prioritizing national economic interests over international climate obligations.[7] The Order also terminates all U.S. financial contributions to international climate initiatives, significantly impacting global efforts to combat climate change.[8] Further, to implement this policy, the President ordered several steps to take place, including:
- The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately notify the United Nations of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and any similar commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;
- The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of State, and Treasury Secretary shall immediately cease or revoke financial commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;
- The United States International Climate Finance Plan will be immediately rescinded, and the Office of Management and Budget shall issue guidance to rescind frozen funds within ten (10) days.[9]
The Order also requires agency heads to submit specific reports and directs those overseeing international energy agreements to “prioritize economic efficiency, the promotion of American prosperity, consumer choice, and fiscal restraint in all foreign engagements that concern energy policy.”[10] Although President Trump aims to bring focus to the United States as a nation, there can be major consequences in abandoning the Paris Agreement all together. As the Environmental Defense Fund’s Executive Director, Amanda Leland, stated, “abandoning it does a major disservice to the American people, to the U.S. economy, and the nation’s own credibility as a reliable partner.” This creates major uncertainty for many Americans, as it can hold companies back from remaining competitive on a global stage and drive costs up for families and businesses, ultimately destroying homes and communities.[11] Without coordinated efforts to mitigate environmental challenges, the U.S. faces increased economic and social hardships caused by extreme weather and natural disaster events. As is evident from the major natural disasters, including the devastating Los Angeles wildfires and North Carolina’s $60 billion recovery costs from Hurricane Helene, these climate disasters are already affecting Americans significantly.[12]
Rescission of Environmental Justice Initiatives
Another major policy shift is the revocation of Executive Order 12898, which previously directed federal agencies to consider environmental justice in their decision-making, particularly in aiming to “achiev[e] environmental justice part of [their] mission.”[13] Under the Order, the heads of the government’s agencies were to avoid excluding persons or subjecting persons to discrimination because of their race, color, or national origin when conducting their programs, policies and activities that substantially affect human health or environmental health. This Order by former President Clinton was created to affirm “that all people living in this country deserve safe places to live, learn, work play, and pray by acknowledging there are environmental dangers that disproportionately target especially people of color.”[14]
Revoking this Order, significantly weakened environmental justice efforts by removing a key mechanism to address the concerns of marginalized populations, leading to increased environmental burdens on these communities and hindering progress toward equitable environmental protection. Trump’s new Order 12898 says that the federal government, corporations, and other institutions “have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”[15] However, Leslie Fields, the chief federal officer at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, stated: “These actions also place vulnerable communities in even greater danger from pollution and the dire, real-time consequences of the climate crisis,” since they leave these communities without much needed support.[16]
The Trump administration has also dismantled the Justice40 program, which aimed to allocate 40% of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities.[17] Executive Order 14008 enacted the Justice40 program and required CEQ to create the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool to spatially define “disadvantaged communities” based on various climate, public health, transportation, and energy justice indicators.[18] The Justice40 promise sought to create an equitable recovery for Americans facing challenges created by aging infrastructure, a frayed social safety net, natural disasters, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[19] This initiative covered programs that included those addressing clean energy investments, transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and clean water infrastructure.[20]
Critics argue dismantling the Justice40 program and its operation disproportionately affects minority and low-income populations, potentially exacerbating environmental inequalities.[21] This rescission not only steers the country away from a path that ensured clean air and water for future generations but also undermines the creation of millions of jobs in clean manufacturing and renewable energy construction—an impact highlighted by Blue Green Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh.[22]
Promotion of Domestic Energy Production
Through the “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order, the Trump Administration has prioritized fossil fuel development and mining of critical minerals.[23] This Order directs the removal of impediments imposed on the development and use of the United States’ abundant energy and natural resources by the Biden Administration’s regulations.[24] The Order focuses on advancing innovation to improve energy and critical minerals identification, permitting, leasing, developing, production, transportation, refining, distribution, exporting, and generation capacity of the United States to provide a reliable, diversified, growing, and affordable supply of energy.[25] Within the Order, President Trump tasked the Secretary of Energy to prioritize programs for onshore critical mineral processing and development.[26]
This Executive Order sets back many of Biden’s climate-related executive orders and sets new energy policy priorities, such as encouraging oil and gas exploration on federal lands and waters, ensuring Americans have an abundant supply of energy, reducing regulatory barriers related to energy, promoting consumer choice by removing Biden’s “EV mandate,” and updating efficiency standards of various goods and appliances such as dishwashers and machines.[27] The Order also includes a move to eliminate goals to increase the number of electric vehicles on the roads.[28] By removing procedural barriers, the Order accelerates energy projects on federal lands and waters.[29] While supporters believe this will boost the economy and create jobs, environmental groups warn that it could lead to increased carbon emissions and long-term environmental degradation.[30]
Reversal of Single-Use Plastic Restrictions
In an unexpected policy shift, President Trump signed an order mandating a national strategy to eliminate the use of paper straws and reinstate plastic alternatives in federal operations. The U.S. government would end the purchase and distribution of paper straws in federal buildings, and the order calls for the development of a National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws within 45 days.[31] Trump also rescinded a Biden Administration policy to end the use of all single-use plastic products on federal lands by 2032.[32] The U.S. government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services, and its purchasing decisions can have a global impact.[33] This move reverses previous policies aimed at reducing plastic waste and marine pollution. Environmental advocates fear that this decision will lead to increased plastic pollution and undermine sustainability efforts.[34]
Oceana’s U.S. Plastics Campaign Director, Christy Leavitt, shared a response to President Trump’s executive order, particularly that he is “headed in the wrong direction of single-use plastics.”[35] Leavitt continued that this Order is trouble for our oceans, health, and communities, since plastic itself is “choking our oceans, sitting at the deepest point of the seafloor, and raining in our national parks.”[36] Instead of leading efforts to tackle the plastic crisis by reducing single-use plastics and promoting reuse and refill systems, this Administration is doing the opposite.[37]
If no new controls are implemented, especially following this signed order, plastic waste in the environment is expected to increase from 81 million tons in 2020, to 119 million tons by 2040.[38] With this Administration, it is unlikely that the U.S. will continue moving forward with other global efforts to control plastic pollution. Aleksander Rankovic, the Director of the Common Initiative, stated “With the new administration’s pro-oil and gas stance, one can expect the U.S. to converge with countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia and oppose the adoption of global goals to reduce plastic production.” [39]
Impact on the Offshore Wind Industry
This Administration has also taken steps to curb federal support for offshore wind energy, resulting in uncertainty within the industry. Offshore wind is a foundational American energy industry, generating billions of dollars in new investments and supporting more than 15,000 jobs.[40] Many offshore wind projects have faced delays or cancellations due to increased costs and a lack of federal backing.[41] Companies that committed to investments in the United States’ offshore wind infrastructure and supply chains are scrapping their plans as the projects they were meant to serve face huge setbacks.[42]
When issuing the order titled “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects,” to pause federal offshore wind leasing, he called the wind turbines ugly, expensive, and harmful to wildlife.[43] Industry experts predict that these setbacks could hinder the U.S. offshore wind market’s ability to meet its initial 2030 energy production goals.[44] These roadblocks in the wind industry also threaten thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in clean energy investments.[45] This halt is not only bad for clean air, public health, and national security, but it also cuts a promising source of additional power at a time when the U.S.’s electricity grid needs it most with heightened risks of natural disasters.[46]
The two main effects of Trump’s Order are that it temporarily halts new leasing of federal waters for offshore wind projects, and it directs all relevant agencies to pause approvals, such as permits, related to on and offshore wind development, until a comprehensive review has been completed. The action, which began this past January, lacks a clear process or timeline for addressing this issue, leading to significant uncertainty.[47] However, clean energy supporters remain hopeful, arguing that despite risks and challenges, substantial investments have been made in this sector, and the United States’ transition to clean energy has been steadily progressing.[48]
Overall Views on Recently Signed Executive Orders
The recent executive orders represent a fundamental shift in U.S. environmental policy, favoring deregulation and domestic energy production over climate and sustainability efforts. While proponents argue that these policies support economic growth and energy independence, critics highlight potential environmental risks and setbacks in addressing climate change. The long-term consequences of these executive actions remain uncertain, but they will likely shape U.S. environmental policy for years to come.
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[1] The Paris Agreement, United Nations: Climate Change (last visited Feb. 26, 2025), https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Colum. U., Trump administration orders withdrawal from Paris agreement, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Colum. L. Sch.,, https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/trump-administration-orders-withdrawal-paris-agreement
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] Abandoning the Paris Agreement Harms U.S. credibility and competitiveness in the global economy. Env’t Def. Fund (Jan. 21, 2025), https://www.edf.org/media/abandoning-paris-agreement-harms-us-credibility-and-competitiveness-global-economy
[12] Id.
[13] Rollback: Trump Rescinded Clinton’s Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice, Env’t & Energy
Law Program at Harv. L. Sch. (last visited Feb. 26, 2025), https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/rollback-trump-rescinded-clintons-executive-order-12898-on-environmental-justice/
[14] Marc Ramirez, Trump’s executive orders take aim at environmental justice measures: What it means, USA Today (Jan. 22, 2025), https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/22/environmental-justice-trump-revokes-advances-by-clinton-biden/77886090007/
[15] Sean Reilly, Trump scraps Clinton-era environmental justice order, POLITICO (Jan. 22, 2025), https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-scraps-clinton-era-environmental-justice-order/
[16] Id.
[17] Melissa Tier, A Brief Look at Environmental Justice Federal Policy in the U.S., New Jersey State Policy Lab at Rutgers University (last visited Feb. 26, 2025), https://policylab.rutgers.edu/a-brief-look-at-environmental-justice-federal-policy-in-the-u-s/
[18] Harv. L. Sch. supra note 12.
[19] Justice40 (last visited Feb. 26, 2025). https://www.thejustice40.com/
[20] Harv. L. Sch. supra note 12.
[21] Michael Gochfeld, et al., Disproportionate Exposures in Environmental Justice and Other Populations: The Importance of Outliers, Nat’l Library of Medicine (Dec. 2011), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3222496/
[22] President Trump’s executive order hinders progress toward a clean economy, risks jobs, and targets civil servants. BlueGreen Alliance (January 20, 2025). https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/resources/president-trumps-executive-order-hinders-progress-toward-a-clean-economy-risks-jobs-and-targets-civil-servants/
[23] President Trump Prioritizes Fossil Fuel Development and Rolls Back Climate Action in Energy, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Colum. L. Sch., https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/president-trump-prioritizes-fossil-fuel-development-and-rolls-back-climate-action-energy
[24] Id.
[25] Dep’t of Interior, ORDER NO. 3418, Subject: Unleashing American Energy, The Sec’y of the Interior Wash.(Feb. 3, 2025), https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/document_secretarys_orders/so-3418-signed.pdf
[26] Kelly Fleming, The Doe Office Already Unleashing American Energy Dominance, Fedn’s of Am. Scientists (Feb. 11, 2025), https://fas.org/publication/doe-mesc-unleash-dominance/
[27] Tracking regulatory changes in the second Trump administration, BROOKINGS (Feb. 3, 2025),
[28] Judith Kohler, What will Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” mean for Colorado, nation?, The Denv. Post (Feb. 9, 2025), https://www.denverpost.com/2025/02/09/trump-drill-baby-oil-gas-fossil-fuels-energy-public-lands-colorado/
[29] Id.
[30] Climate Change and Jobs, International Labour Organization, https://www.ilo.org/topics/just-transition-towards-environmentally-sustainable-economies-and-societies/areas-work/climate-change-and-jobs#:~:text=By%20contrast%2C%20if%20properly%20managed%2C%20climate%20change,can%20lead%20to%20more%20and%20better%20jobs.&text=A%20transition%20to%20a%20low%2Dcarbon%2C%20greener%20economy,towards%20a%20more%20sustainable%20ways%20of%20production.
[31] Ariana Miller, et al., President Trump Prioritizes Plastic Despite Its Harm to Oceans and Health, Oceana (Feb. 10, 2025), https://usa.oceana.org/press-releases/president-trump-prioritizes-plastic-despite-its-harm-to-oceans-and-health/
[32] Trump signs executive order on plastic drinking straws, Reuters (Feb. 11, 2025), https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-signs-executive-order-plastic-drinking-straws-2025-02-10/
[33] Ariana Miller supra note 30.
[34] Matthew Daly, ‘Back to plastic’: Trump pushes for plastic straws as he declares paper ones ‘don’t work’, OPB (Feb. 10, 2025), https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/10/back-to-plastic-trump-pushes-for-plastic-straws-as-he-declares-paper-ones-dont-work/
[35] Id.
[36] Id.
[37] Id.
[38] Reuters supra note 31.
[39] Id.
[40] Nathanael Greene, Trump Spits into the Wind, NRDC (Jan. 23, 2025), https://www.nrdc.org/bio/nathanael-greene/trump-spits-wind
[41] Alex Brown, Federal hostility could delay offshore wind projects, derailing state climate goals, Stateline (Dec. 16, 2024), https://stateline.org/2024/12/16/federal-hostility-could-delay-offshore-wind-projects-derailing-state-climate-goals/#:~:text=States’%20offshore%20wind%20goals%20were,being%20deployed%20in%20federal%20waters.%E2%80%9D
[42] Nichola Groom, Focus: Trump hostility to US offshore wind reverberates through supply chain, Reuters (Feb. 14, 2025), https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-hostility-us-offshore-wind-reverberates-through-supply-chain-2025-02-13/
[43] Id.
[44] Polly Bindman, Analysis: Cancellations threaten Biden’s 2030 offshore wind target, Energy Monitor (Nov. 13, 2024), https://www.energymonitor.ai/tech/renewables/analysis-cancellations-threaten-bidens-2030-offshore-wind-target/
[45] Nathanael Greene supra note 39
[46] Id.
[47] Id.
[48] Id.
