A second Trump presidency could be disastrous for policy initiatives fighting Climate Change. Under a series of collective policies proposed in Project 2025, conservative think tanks have hinted at “systematically dismantling” the Environmental Protection Agency while more closely aligning federal regulations that favor the fossil fuel industries. While Trump has distanced himself from the conservative agenda calling for an overhaul of the federal government, including environmentally-friendly regulations, many Climate Change activists point to his contentions history with carbon reduction policies, such as pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement and nullifying 100 policies focused on clean air, water, and toxic chemicals as to what’s to come in 2025. Another Trump White House could also impact chemical storage regulations and business operations.
How Could Chemical Storage Change Under Trump?
Project 2025 is a proposed series of policy initiatives for a Republican transition of power in the White House. Most initiatives concern executive branch consolidations, gutting federal agencies, eliminating reproductive rights, and cracking down on immigration. While Trump has publicly disavowed any association with the far-reaching authoritarian-themed Republican handbook, his previous association with Project 2025’s authors is telling. Trump is also an ardent critic of carbon emissions reduction initiatives, and his track record for environmental protection is concerning. Trump rolled back bans on toxic chemicals dangerous to humans and the environment. Although he received considerable international pushback for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, Trump loosened federal oversight on hazardous chemical storage while reversing 100 environmental laws.
OSHA and Worker Safety
During 2019, OSHA conducted almost a thousand investigations into fatal workplace accidents. This increase was the highest number of investigations since the agency began tracking such information. While the accidents continued to mount, the Trump administration began scaling back OSHA inspections, which are proven to lower the frequency of accidents. Another Trump presidency could see another decline in needed safety inspections. We’re not trying to politicize chemical storage and safety regulations. However, we would be remiss if we trivialized the connection between ideology and nationwide worker safety. There’s a difference between ethics and legality. Just because your facility didn’t receive OSHA’s seal of approval doesn’t mean your workers are not at risk. As an employer, you owe your workforce and the communities you serve vigilance and dedication in ensuring worker safety and environmental protection.
How Would Project 2025 Impact Industries?
We can already see the exhaust fumes wafting from the gears turning in your head. “The less government regulation and bureaucracy, the better,” is what you probably think. Big businesses hate government meddling while favoring laissez-faire free market business practices that allow them maximum profits. But chemical storage regulations were never meant to undercut profits or stymie businesses. Although increased oversight detracts from the bottom line, environmental regulation and chemical storage impact everyone. Without comprehensive legislation addressing environmental protection, our nation’s natural resources would be depleted, leaving our streams and rivers degraded to sludge laden with carcinogens. America’s beautiful landscapes would be reduced to a barren wasteland of despair, arresting future growth and development. Rapid reductions in natural resources would inevitably lead to a scarcity of raw materials, further driving up prices of raw materials while undercutting profits.
Relaxed government regulations could also impact your potential workforce. Aspiring tradesmen and machinists would likely question their career prospects if they are forced to toil in unsafe working conditions brought on by reduced chemical storage regulations. Would you feel comfortable working on a factory floor cluttered with highly flammable chemicals once stored in a federally compliant chemical storage locker? Thousands of workers would at the very least consider your competitors who have not abandoned commonsense storage regulations regardless of government oversight. Companies should also consider their company’s reputation. Why would any municipality welcome a known polluter into their industrial parks? Most towns want to keep their communities clean and green. They have little interest darkening their skies and future prospects with dirty industrial behemoths regardless of the economic incentives.
Like Fire and Gasoline, Decency, Integrity and Political Ideology Are Incompatible Materials
Politics should never impact the safety of your workers. Your party affiliations and loyalty cannot be a determining factor while considering the safety of your employees and the communities you serve. Protecting the environment and Climate Change aren’t part of the “Liberal Agenda.” We all live and work on this planet, so everyone has a vested interest in protecting our ecosystem through sustained economic growth. While Trump’s relaxed chemical storage regulations could reduce budget line items for chemical storage, you could pay more in the long-term, including by the way of negligence lawsuits and irreparable harm to machinery damaged by fires from improperly stored dangerous chemicals.
Furthermore, business-first legislation doesn’t change the laws of Physics. Flammable materials sensitive to rapid temperature fluctuations that negatively interact with incompatible chemicals require compartmentalized chemical storage. Dangerous chemicals couldn’t care less about who is the White House. It’s up to you as a business owner to safeguard dangerous stockpiles. Contact us today to learn more about chemical storage regulations and protecting what matters most: your employees.
