Trump policies spur environmental progress

Activists and Democratic politicians like to portray President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the ineffectual and counterproductive Paris Agreement as an example of his “inaction” on the environment.

In reality, the quality of our air and water has only improved since he took office. Carbon emissions fell 2.7% in President Trump’s first year. While emissions rose in 2018 due to robust economic growth, carbon dioxide is projected to decrease in 2019 and 2020.

Driving these results are meaningful policies. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized its new Affordable Clean Energy Rule (ACE) to replace the Obama administration’s unworkable Clean Power Plan (CPP).

The CPP not only proved to be unconstitutional, but it also unnecessarily destroyed thousands of mining and extraction jobs without obvious benefit to the environment.

ACE, by contrast, will ensure that by 2030, carbon emissions from the American energy sector will drop by up to 35% below 2005 levels.

Elsewhere, President Trump has taken decisive executive action to protect America’s natural gas boom from overregulation. Natural gas power plants produce between 50% and 60% less carbon dioxide than equivalent coal plants.

Nuclear energy, meanwhile, still provides about one-fifth of all U.S. electricity. For the time being that virtually carbon-free bulwark is safe — but only because of the president’s determined resistance to anti-nuclear activists.

Use of renewables has also continued to grow since President Trump took office, but there is no silver bullet — least of all in the multitrillion dollar “Green New Deal.”

Donald Trump chose a better direction. It’s not “inaction” but a realistic plan to get us clean and affordable energy, reduced greenhouse emissions and economic growth.

Mandy Gunasekara, a veteran Republican climate and energy strategist and communicator, served in the Trump administration EPA as the principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation.