Prof. Aseem Prakash was interviewed in The Seattle Times for his opinion of the recent executive order signed by President Trump.
President Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday to find ways to block climate laws across the country, putting Washington in his crosshairs once more...he’s targeting governments wanting to cut greenhouse gas emissions, guard against the worsening effects of climate change or protect especially vulnerable people from disasters...Trump is brushing aside decades of climate science in the name of energy and economic domination. But the order likely doesn’t hold any water, legally speaking, attorneys say. Others called it flat-out illegal.
Trump’s order specifically tells Bondi to target state and local laws surrounding “‘climate change’ or involving ‘environmental, social, and governance’ initiatives, ‘environmental justice’, carbon or ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions and funds to collect carbon penalties or taxes.”
Washington isn’t specifically mentioned but the 2021 Climate Commitment Act created a carbon market and requires the state’s top polluters to buy allowances for the greenhouse gases they emit. The state is now trying to link its program with the joint market between California and the Canadian province of Quebec.
While an outright legal victory seems unlikely for Trump, said Aseem Prakash, a political scientist with the University of Washington, the administration might still benefit from tying states and cities up in lengthy and expensive legal battles. Similar to his recent capitulation on global tariffs, Trump could still claim victory, he said.
“This is all about politics and posturing,” Prakash said. “It’s not about results.”
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