July 2, 2020 — As the nation grapples with a pandemic and continued protests against systemic racism, calling for police reform, President Donald Trump is rolling back environmental regulations in an effort to deliver on some of his major campaign promises as November nears.
On June 4, Trump issued an executive order to expedite infrastructure investments and “other actions” that will “strengthen the economy and return Americans to work.” The order calls for expediting government decision making and halting environmental review processes.
In the same spirit of cutting red tape, Trump issued a proclamation June 5 to reopen the Northeast Canyons and the Seamounts Marine Region, off the coast of New England, to commercial fishing. In 2016, the Obama administration established the only marine sanctuary in the Atlantic Ocean, protecting 5,000 miles of fragile deep sea environments 130 miles off the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
At a roundtable in Bangor, Maine, Trump touted how the move would be good for Maine’s economy.
“As we work to fully reopen and revitalize our nation’s economy I am doing everything in my power to support American workers, including those in Maine’s amazing seafood industry,” Trump said.