Decades of Environmental Protection Threatened By Trump’s Latest Nominee
In a move that signals a continued shift toward deregulation, and away from the safety of the American people, the Trump administration has nominated Douglas Troutman, a longtime lobbyist for the chemical industry, to lead a key office at the Environmental Protection Agency. The nomination, which now awaits confirmation by the Senate, has drawn immediate criticism from environmental groups, who see it as another example of putting a fox in charge of the henhouse.
Troutman has been tapped to serve as the Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). This office is the nerve center for regulating pesticides and industrial chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and other foundational environmental laws. His nomination, if confirmed, would give a prominent voice to an industry that has long sought to scale back what it considers being “overburdensome” regulations.
For years, as a senior executive and general counsel for the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), Troutman worked to influence the very regulations he would now be tasked with enforcing. In one instance, the ACI, under Troutman’s leadership, challenged a New York state law that required ingredient disclosure in cleaning products. Will he try to do the same on a national level, removing any transparency about the chemicals that is put into out products?
The nomination is a clear reflection of the priorities of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who has made deregulation and “energy dominance” the cornerstones of his tenure. Zeldin’s EPA has already proposed rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases and has downsized the agency, including the elimination of the Office of Environmental Justice. This office within the EPA was dedicated to addressing the disproportionate negative environmental and health effects faced by low-income and minority communities.
Troutman’s appointment fits squarely into this vision. His supporters, including the American Cleaning Institute, praise his knowledge of the industry and argue he will bring a “common-sense, smart” approach to regulation.
This is an obvious conflict of interest. As a spokesperson for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a leading environmental organization, put it, “Putting a chemical industry lobbyist in charge of the office that is supposed to protect us from toxic chemicals is like putting the CEO of a tobacco company in charge of public health.” Another environmental advocate, who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely, added, “This is another signal that this administration has no intention of upholding the core mission of the EPA.
On December 2, 1970, the EPA was officially established. Its core mission was, and remains, to protect human health and the environment by setting and enforcing national standards for pollution control.” That sounds like a noble mission to everyone except those that profit from those deregulations.
The question for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which will hold his confirmation hearing, is how Troutman can credibly shift from advocating for an industry to regulating it.
This is another chance for Congress to consider what is best for the country, not what is best for Trump.
