REPORT CARD: Trump’s Climate Failure Hurt Michigan Families

Trump failed the auto industry and gave Big Oil free rein to pollute our air and water

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of what’s expected to be another misinformation-filled speech by Donald Trump in Michigan today, we’d like to once again remind you of how he failed Michiganders as president. Trump decimated Obama-era climate policies that helped families save billions on health care costs and protected thousands from climate-linked medical problems. If re-elected, Trump will gut President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan, jeopardizing the $21.3 billion in investments Michigan has already seen in new clean energy projects. Another Trump presidency would hurt Michigan’s environment, economy, and health, especially in communities of color.

Michiganders gave Trump a failing grade in 2020. They’ll do it again in 2024. Here’s why: 

FAIL: During Trump’s presidency, polluters did not pay to clean up toxic chemicals found in water supplies across the state. These chemicals, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” are linked to cancer and other diseases. Michigan has more forever chemical sites than any other state in the nation, impacting clean drinking water for more than 1.5 million residents. 

FAIL: Trump’s environmental policies hurt the Great Lakes and Michigan waterways, causing spikes in water pollution and lasting damage to the lakes’ health. 

• Trump scaled back enforcement of environmental regulations in the Great Lakes region, leading to 62% more facilities in “significant noncompliance” with the Clean Water Act in 2019, compared with the average number of facilities for fiscal years 2012 to 2017.
  • Under Trump, there was a 28% decrease in EPA cases against polluters in the Great Lakes region. 
• In 2019, Trump signed an executive order overriding state control of pipeline safety regulations, speeding up polluting oil and gas projects and weakening protections for Michigan’s waterways.

FAIL: In May 2020, record heavy rain resulted in river flooding, dam failure, and mandatory evacuations in Midland County. During the crisis, Trump threatened to withhold disaster relief funding if Michigan’s Secretary of State sent absentee ballots to voters.

FAIL: With rising temperatures in the Midwest, massive crop failures are more likely. Trump’s climate denial would threaten Michigan’s agriculture industry, which employs nearly a quarter of the state’s entire workforce and contributes over $100 billion annually to the state economy. 

FAIL: Trump’s new policy proposals would decimate Michigan’s auto industry. Trump tried to eliminate the EV tax credit and threatened Michigan’s auto manufacturing jobs.

• Trump has made baseless claims about EVs destroying auto manufacturing jobs. Meanwhile, UAW president Sean Fain has labeled Trump a “scab” and has said that a second Trump presidency would be a “disaster. ”
• President Biden’s clean energy plan has created 19 new EV and battery projects in Michigan, driving $11.2 billion in investment and creating nearly 15,000 new jobs.