To date, the Trump administration has sought to reverse more than 60 environmental rules, according to a New York Times analysis, based on research from Harvard Law School’s Environmental Regulation Rollback Tracker , Columbia Law School’s Climate Tracker and other sources.

Since taking office last year, President Trump has made eliminating federal regulations a priority . His administration — with help from Republicans in Congress — has often targeted environmental rules it sees as overly burdensome to the fossil fuel industry, including major Obama-era policies aimed at fighting climate change.

10 rollbacks are in limbo

Wetland and tributary protections

Methane emission limits at new oil and gas wells

Limits on landfill emissions

Mercury emission limits for power plants

Hazardous chemical facility regulations

Groundwater protections for uranium mines

Efficiency standards for appliances

Efficiency standards for federal buildings

Rule helping consumers buy fuel-efficient tires

Aircraft emissions standards



The chart above reflects three types of policy changes: rules that have been officially reversed; announcements and changes still in progress, pending reviews and other rulemaking procedures; and regulations whose status is unclear because of delays or court actions. (Several rules were undone but later reinstated after legal challenges.)

The process of rolling back the regulations has not been smooth, in part because the administration has tried to bypass the formal rulemaking process in some cases. On more than one occasion, the administration has tried to roll back a rule by announcing its intent but skipping steps such as notifying the public and asking for comment. This has led to a new kind of legal challenge, according to Joseph Goffman, executive director of Harvard’s environmental law program. Courts are now being asked to intervene to get agencies to follow the process.

Regulations have often been reversed as a direct response to petitions from oil, coal and gas companies and other industry groups, which have enjoyed a much closer relationship with key figures in the Trump administration than under President Barack Obama.