On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a long list of executive actions , with several taking aim at the country’s efforts to address climate change.
These executive actions included pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, suspending offshore wind leases and declaring a “national energy emergency” to remove barriers around drilling.
“There’s a through line in all of these. And that through line is protecting and supporting and putting a thumb on the scale for the fossil fuel industry,” David Cash, the former EPA administrator for New England, told Boston Public Radio on Tuesday.
Cash said the science is clear: Fossil fuels cause climate change. The question now, he said, is “how do we transition into a clean energy economy?”
Trump’s executive orders support the United States’ continued dependence on oil and gas.
Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately pause the disbursement of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides financial support for clean energy. This could have economic consequences for green technology research and businesses in New England, Cash said.
“What I think the states, the New England states, have to risk is lost opportunity. We see clear pullback from the development of the clean energy economy,” he said. Cash said he expects to see job losses in the clean tech industry all over New England. In Massachusetts, there are over 100,000 people employed in clean energy, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center .
However, Cash was optimistic that Massachusetts can still depend on funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That’s because most of the funds are already “out the door.”
“So it’s in the accounts of cities and states, etc., that are building this kind of infrastructure,” Cash said.
Cash was appointed to his role by President Joe Biden. He resigned from his EPA position when Trump was sworn in.
