FERC and the EPA Continue to Lead in Climate Crisis Denial

WASHINGTON (09-18) – As they have for the past 11 years, climate change activists from Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE) undertook their monthly protest on September 18 when they protested and picketed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) headquarters calling for them to be more than a rubber-stamp for new fossil fuel and pipeline projects.

BXE members and others, including those from the Hold the Line Campaign, Elders Coalition Climate Action, Third Act Actions Lab, and the UnFrack FERC Campaign, called for FERC to follow their mandate and consider each proposal on its merits, including the comments and concerns by community members and those affected by their decisions.

The groups called to “FREC FERC” in reference to the Commission moving towards renewable energy and away from carbon-based polluting fuels. They envision the name change to reflect the undeniable future of renewable green energy to be called the Federal Renewable Energy Commission (FREC).

Almost at the same time, Donald Trump, in England while speaking at a press conference with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, responded to a reporter’s question about his “Drill baby drill” quote. He addressed alternative renewable energy in part by saying that “We don’t do wind, wind is a disaster. It’s a very expensive joke, frankly.”

His dismissive comment ignores increasingly global elevated summer temperatures, unprecedented catastrophic weather-related destruction, and the rising of sea levels along with more frequent and devastating wildfires. Trump’s entrenchment against environmental causes is best revealed by his appointment of the conservative former Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin from New York to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Zeldin has been busy since his Senate confirmation eight months ago in rolling back more than a hundred federal environmental regulations showing his preference for the fossil fuels industry over what he has reportedly called the “green new scam” when referring to alternative, renewal and green energy sources.

After their morning rally and protest at FERC, climate activists staged an afternoon silent funeral cortége and die-in at the EPA headquarters to mourn the death of the agency under Zeldin’s leadership. Before leaving on the march to the EPA headquarters, one speaker reflected on the EPA’s founding under Richard Nixon to protect the air, the water and the land for all Americans.

Through Zeldin’s actions at EPA, “he has threatened the lives of everyone in this country and around the world” was how the speaker addressed the crowd of climate activists. He went on to list Zeldin’s destructive actions that have resulted in the rollback of “31 public health, and environmental regulations,” Including rules affecting “the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and greenhouse gas limits.”

Zeldin has “scrapped the stricter limits on toxic mercury and toxic air emissions on coal plants” and lifted the tighter limits on “forever” chemicals in drinking water. He “terminated $20 billion in climate grants along with having cut 4,000 EPA jobs, taking the agency back levels not seen in 40 years.”

Going on, he noted that Zeldin has dismantled the office of Research and Development, a $300 million operation, and “cut from the 2026 budget 1,300 scientists.” And presently, he is trying to eliminate the Endangerment Finding from 2009. The finding identifies “greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide as dangerous pollutants, and because they can endanger public health and welfare can be regulated by the government under the Clean Air Act,” an important tool to combat climate change.

Calling for his resignation, the speaker suggested that Zeldin should reinstitute the Endangerment Finding, restore the office of Research and Development, hire back all those scientists, and reopen all environmental justice offices.” He further demanded that Zeldin “must reinstate all 130 EPA dissidents who publicly renounced his actions that are destroying the agency. Or he must be removed.”

With that, the group began its march for a die-in to mourn the death of the EPA. Accompanied by two bagpipers, they marched silently taking over the streets along their route arriving at the headquarters building where a solo celloist was playing funerary music.

As activists occupied the massive courtyard, they slowly began lying on the ground along with tombstones each carried that had the name of a litany of lost programs or laws and other environmental causes written on them that have been lost under Zeldin’s destructive leadership.

Eight minutes of silence was observed to mourn those loses before they became reanimated in ending their protest.

This reporter had an opportunity to speak with a lifelong shrimper from Freeport, Texas who spoke about the serious concerns he has regarding the environmental degradation of his hometown and the new direction the EPA is now heading.

He related the story of the “Dow Bubble,” a discernable toxic cloud hanging over the Dow Chemical Company’s petrochemical plant and the city. While he had often heard of the bubble from fellow fishermen, he had no recollection of ever having seen it. But one day when returning to the dock while heading in from the Gulf, he saw a massive, discolored cloud hovering over the entire area. He realized then that when you are on the ground in the city looking straight up it was impossible to discern as the sky appears blue. Local fishermen had named the ever-present cloud the “Dow Bubble” as they saw it daily when entering or leaving port.

The massive 7,000-acre Dow petrochemical plant along the coast in Brazoria County is the company’s largest in the nation and, according to their website, “manufactures 44% of Dow's products sold in the U.S. and more than 21% of Dow's products sold globally.”

The plant in 2024 was named the worst wastewater polluter in the nation according to a study conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). It’s toxic soup of chemicals contained in its wastewater discharges “plastic pellets” that go directly into the Brazos River where, because of the mix of chemicals, life in the river, according to the report is unsustainable.

Clearly, Freeport is not alone as presently there are 132 operable refineries in the U.S., the majority of which are concentrated in California (14), Louisiana (15) and Texas (31).

If Zeldin remains in his position, communities suffering from environmental harm—such as those in Freeport—and all Americans who depend on clean air, clean and safe water, and vital environmental protections weakened by the Trump administration, continue to live in danger.

Report and photos by Phil Pasquini

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