Trump’s Deregulatory Agenda Aimed at Affordability, Says EPA Official

During a recent event with Breitbart News, EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi asserted that President Donald Trump’s deregulatory efforts would help improve affordability for Americans.

John Carney, who acted as the moderator and serves as Breitbart News’ economics editor, noted a correlation between energy deregulation and measures aimed at reducing inflation and enhancing affordability.

“Energy is a fundamental part of everything we purchase, and when prices drop, it tends to lower inflation automatically. Energy plays such a huge role in the overall inflation index, affecting all other products reliant on it,” Carney stated. He asked Fotouhi for the EPA’s perspective on policies related to affordability and what can be done to address the ongoing challenges faced by many citizens.

Fotouhi mentioned that the Biden administration has introduced what he referred to as “substantial additional regulatory burdens” on energy production.

“From mining to oil and gas to power generation, there are numerous added regulatory requirements, many of which don’t seem to relate directly to environmental health,” he remarked.

“For example, the recent updates by the Biden administration on mercury and air toxicity standards highlight this issue,” he continued. “We’ve recommended reversing these changes back to the 2020 rules. While the administration aims to mitigate health risks from mercury and other air toxins, they seem to overlook that we identified new technologies that could help cut down emissions more effectively, which inadvertently increases generation costs during a time when we need stable baseload power,” he said.

He cautioned that this situation could lead to higher electricity bills for consumers.

“This is just one proposal we’ve made, but ultimately, our goal is to tackle the cost of living for Americans. And energy plays a crucial role in the pricing of numerous goods and services,” he reflected, echoing the Trump administration’s focus on affordability.

“So, even if someone isn’t seeing it in their direct electricity bill, the prices of everything from basic necessities to a haircut at the local barber are influenced by this. That’s our focus, along with meeting our legal requirements,” he added.