Conservatives cheer EPA cuts that activists fear 'will be borne by lungs'

Trump administration's zeal for deregulation seen by environmentalists as a recipe for fossil fuel cronyism, runaway climate change and toxic water crises

Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, caused conniptions among scientists this week by claiming that carbon dioxide isn't the primary catalyst of global warming. Conservative groups and industry, on the other hand, heard hints that a cherished goal may be within reach.

In 2009 the EPA determined that greenhouse gas emissions "endanger both the public health and the public welfare of current and future generations", opening the door to regulation. Donald Trump's crusade against government strictures could target this finding, effectively making it official US policy that burning fossil fuels poses no threat to Americans, despite a mountain of scientific literature to the contrary.