Wheeler in Wisconsin: Putting a Green Veneer on Actions of Trump EPA

"By redrawing a line on a map to exclude a monitor with higher pollution readings, the administration has given the appearance of reducing pollution in Sheboygan."

"The Trump administration declared a victory over air pollution in Sheboygan, Wisconsin this week—a timely win given recent polls showing that voters view environmental protection to be President Trump's greatest vulnerability.

It is not clear if Trump's weak standing in Wisconsin polls will be helped by the announcement that a portion of Sheboygan County, a chronic smog hot spot, has met federal air quality standards. But the declaration, made Tuesday by Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler in the last of three tours of swing states so far this month, reveals much about the administration's strategy for putting a green veneer on its record of relentlessly rolling back environmental protections.

By redrawing a line on a map to exclude a shoreline air monitor with high pollution readings—a move that was urged by Wisconsin Republican state leaders—Wheeler was able to announce that the newly created "inland" Sheboygan air monitoring zone met the federal ozone standard."

Marianne Lavelle reports for InsideClimate News June 18, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Trump’s EPA Chief Drops Into Battleground States Ahead Of Election" (Washington Post)

"EPA Chief Spreads Trump’s Environmental Message in Swing States" (Bloomberg)

Source: InsideClimate News, 06/19/2020