Washington, D.C. – A new report from the Center for American Progress shows how the Trump administration’s attack on environmental protections and cancer research and treatment programs will increase preventable cancer cases among Americans.
The report examines how communities across the country will be exposed to more cancer-causing pollution and avoidable cancer risks as the Trump administration weakens or erases pollution limits and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act cancels clean energy incentives. It also shows the political contradiction between the administration’s “Make America Health Again” motto and cuts that have the opposite effect.
CAP highlights the communities near the roughly 400 coal- and gas-fired power plants projected to run more as environmental safeguards and clean energy incentives are stripped away. It also shows affected areas close to the nearly 170 chemical plants and other industrial facilities that have been given two extra years to comply with toxic air pollution limits.
Among the data in the report:
- It identifies the top 10 states with the most polluting facilities that are exempted from toxic air pollution limits and/or are expected to run more as environmental protections are stripped away: Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Ohio.
- Each of these states has 15 or more polluting facilities that are likely to emit more cancer-causing pollution as environmental safeguards and clean energy incentives are canceled or weakened.
- The top five states—Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Illinois—each have 32 or more polluting facilities expected to emit more cancer-causing pollution.
- More than one-third of states (19) have 10 or more polluting facilities that are likely to emit more cancer-causing pollution as environmental protections are weakened.
- More than half of states (29) have seven or more polluting facilities expected to receive a free pass by the Trump administration to emit more cancer-causing pollution.
- It also spotlights the top five power plants expected to jack up their electricity output and emit more cancer-causing pollution with the Trump administration rollbacks and the total amount of increased power generation expected from fossil fuel-fired plants.
Read the report: “The Trump Administration’s Attack on Environmental Protections Will Increase Cancer-Causing Pollution,” by Cathleen Kelly, Leo Banks, and Jill Rosenthal
For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].