So who benefits? In attempting to justify these actions, the EPA political leadership claim eliminating regulation saves industries money — namely oil, gas and coal companies. But what they don’t share is the enormous costs paid by the American public. The number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters has skyrocketed, with the last ten years accounting for nearly half of the costs of such disasters over the entire 44-year period that records have been kept.

The Administration's economic justification is backwards. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres remarked this month, fossil fuels are running out of road. Just follow the money:

• $2 trillion went into clean energy last year globally, which is $800 billion more than fossil fuels, up almost 70 percent in 10 years.
• New data from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that solar, not so long ago four times the cost of fossil fuels, is now 41 percent cheaper than the least expensive fossil fuel alternative. Wind energy is 53 percent cheaper.
• Over 90 percent of new worldwide renewables brought online in 2024 produced electricity for less than the cheapest new fossil fuel alternative.

Over the past two years, the Southeast U.S. alone announced more than $73 billion in private investment in the clean energy industry supply chain, and more than 92,000 new clean energy jobs. However, the Administration also passed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill [sic] this month, essentially eliminating the tax credits and clean energy programs that spurred this economic growth in the Southeast and helped American families reduce their energy bills and fossil fuel dependence. 

As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned, “Countries that cling to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies — they are sabotaging them. Driving up costs. Undermining competitiveness. Locking-in stranded assets. And missing the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century.”

Market forces are driving the shift to clean energy. This is also a shift in possibility. We don’t have to accept this Administration’s actions that protect fossil fuel profits over people. States, cities and communities can step up to fill the void — advancing clean energy, strengthening resilience and proving that protecting our climate and our health drives economic opportunity. But together, we must also demand accountability, support leaders who prioritize our wellbeing over polluter profits, and build the sustainable future our families deserve.