Parts Per Billion

President Donald Trump blamed Democrats June 5 for “taking forever” to approve his administration’s appointees in a tweet, say that “They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS!” But, Trump hasn't moved the quickest of the last few presidents on vetting and getting appointees through the confirmation process—in fact, he is the slowest of the last four presidents, according to data collected by the Partnership for Public Service. Of the 559 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, Trump has pushed 40 through the Senate to full confirmation, formally nominated 63 and name dropped 25—however, without a formal nomination. Of the 559 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, Trump has pu So, how can agencies answer to Trump’s calls for deregulation when they have little to no authority or man power to do so?

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On this breaking news episode of Parts Per Billion, we speak with international climate reporter Eric J. Lyman about how the major global powers will react to President Trump's decision earlier today to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.

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Infrastructure is one of those things that people like to say shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but maybe the secret of it is that it actually is: Democrats and Republicans have very different ideas about how to pay for it. That’s the highlight of our conversation with Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), chairman of a key environmental subcommittee in the House.

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It looks like NAFTA might be going away, or at the very least getting significantly altered. Are environmentalists worried that the controversial deal's environmental provisions will vanish along with it? Actually no. This week, we hear from Bloomberg BNA international reporter Dean Scott on why the green movement never really liked NAFTA and why it wouldn't be that upset if the Trump administration defenestrated the trade deal.

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This week on our environmental policy podcast Parts Per Billion we begin the first in a series on drinking water—specifically, how do we pay for the drinking water infrastructure upgrades the country badly needs? We pose that question to Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on a key environmental subcommittee in the House. He says without a big infusion of federal cash, incidents like the ongoing contamination crisis in Flint, Mich., could become commonplace.

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The EPA is in a tough place; it's got a deadline coming up in a few days to decide whether it should ban an insecticide used by farmers around the globe. If it does ban the bug killer, that would harm farmers in other countries that want to import their fruits and veggies to the U.S., and it may prompt those other countries to retaliate in ways that harm U.S. farmers. But, if the Trump administration decides not to ban chlorpyrifos, it will be going against mounting scientific evidence—much of it compiled by Trump’s predecessor—indicating that chlorpyrifos isn't safe.

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This week on Parts Per Billion, we’re going to be asking the question that everyone on Capitol Hill is going to be asking in a few days: Who is Neil Gorsuch? If he’s confirmed and takes Antonin Scalia’s long-empty seat, how will that change the way the court rules on environmental issues?

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Will Donald Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border harm the environment? (Maybe) Will the Trump administration be able to bring its wall into compliance with environmental laws? (Probably not) Will that prevent it from actually building the wall? (Nope)

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Think air pollution only happens in big cities on hot summer days? Think again. This week on Parts Per Billion, we speak with Bloomberg BNA's Patrick Ambrosio about the surprising winter air problems some rural areas are facing and how these problems are scrambling environmental politics.

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Confirmation season is in full swing at the U.S. Senate, and that's where we are this week. We head to the marble halls of the Greatest Deliberative Body in the World to speak with Bloomberg BNA's Brian Dabbs. He tells us whether lawmakers will confirm Donald Trump's nominees to lead the EPA, Department of Energy and other agencies, and about what the Democrats' chances are in blocking them. (Hint: not good)

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