The second Trump administration is entering the White House armed with plans to dismantle democracy and tear down environmental protections for the sake of industry profits. During the campaign it was called Project 2025, but now it’s a reality. We’ve seen the picks for critical cabinet positions including the EPA, and we can expect the worst. Their plans will destroy our environment and must be blocked.
We challenged the Trump administration the first time around, and won. We’ve studied the new proposals and the ways they will affect San Francisco Bay. Baykeeper’s scientists and attorneys are ready to fight.
Here’s a look at how the new administration will threaten the Bay, and how Baykeeper will hold them in check:
Water Quality Regulations
There are over 1,600 industrial facilities operating around the Bay, and deregulation would allow them to dump toxic chemicals into our water and poison our communities.
- Baykeeper has caught hundreds of industrial polluters red-handed over the last three decades, and we’ll continue to investigate and litigate polluting activities. We’ve used existing federal and state laws to win more than 300 legal victories against polluters.
- We’ll continue to hold polluters accountable under state and local laws, as well as federal laws that still apply. We’ll collaborate with coalition partners to strengthen state laws where needed. We’ll also continue to join with frontline communities to mobilize against polluters.
Endangered Species Protections
Many of the Bay’s native species are already threatened and endangered by pollution, dredging, and lack of fresh water. They’ve lived in this ecosystem for millennia, but some of them could become extinct in the next few years.
- Baykeeper has challenged harmful government water diversion projects and strengthened laws to protect the Bay’s fish and wildlife for over three decades. Just this year, we won new protections for both the Longfin Smelt and White Sturgeon.
- We will advocate and litigate to secure more species protections under existing federal and state laws. We’ll challenge any attempt to weaken federal endangered species protections and shore up state laws where needed. We’ll also continue to collaborate with tribes, fishermen, and frontline communities to challenge freshwater diversions and protect the Bay’s fish, wildlife, and people.
Fossil fuel production
The five oil refineries and two coal export facilities around the Bay (as well as others that have been proposed) will be emboldened to invest in their dirty operations and delay the transition to clean, renewable energy.
- Baykeeper has successfully fought proposed expansions at all five Bay Area refineries. We also provided legal support to grassroots partners to help pass a ban on coal storage in Richmond. With our allies, we also blocked plans to build a new coal terminal in Oakland.
- We will continue to watchdog the fossil fuel industry in the Bay Area, challenge expansion plans, and monitor local agency permits. We’ll leverage existing policies, strengthen state laws, and explore novel legal arguments to hold the oil and coal industries accountable. And we’ll continue to share our science and legal expertise with frontline community partners.
Climate Change
The Bay Area’s shorelines are expected to flood about five feet by 2100. The groundwater level is already rising at nearly 1,100 contaminated sites, spreading pollutants into communities and increasing people’s toxic exposure.
- Baykeeper was first to document areas at risk of flooding along the Bay’s shoreline and inform local decision makers. We recently helped the City of Alameda develop robust climate action plans. And we’ve secured legal agreements for infrastructure upgrades that will help prepare the Bay Area for climate change in over 20 cities, including San Jose.
- We will advocate for strong local protections to deal with rising sea levels. We’ll continue to compel improved planning and infrastructure upgrades to help cities avoid the coming effects of climate change, and we’ll continue to partner with grassroots groups to keep environmental justice and the climate crisis at the forefront of local planning and policy decisions.
Environmental Agencies & Industry Science
Federal agencies are responsible for developing, implementing, and enforcing environmental and public health safeguards, but they will no longer have the resources to do so. Industry-friendly science will result in highly biased regulations that will make our communities unsafe.
- Baykeeper consistently provides federal agencies with technical analysis of the best available science to help form the basis of new regulations. For 35 years, we’ve taken legal action when agencies fail to act on the best available science.
- We will inform and support the federal agencies that still exist. We’ll keep enforcing the laws to hold regulators accountable. And we’ll continue to partner with the scientific community to mobilize opposition to bad science and to strengthen state and local policy.
The Trump administration’s anti-environmental agenda could wreak havoc on the Bay and the health of all of us living around it. Baykeeper has the expertise and strategies to fight back, and your support is critical. With you by our side, we’ll defend the Bay and stop the new administration’s dangerous plans.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: DONATE NOW TO DEFEND THE BAY
Trump’s playbook, known as Project 2025, is bad news for the Bay. But we’ve taken on Trump’s policies before — and won.
Your gift today will ensure Baykeeper’s lawyers and scientists will be on watch for the Bay. We’ll use sound science to advocate for key protections, and we’ll be in the courts, pushing back to protect the health of San Francisco Bay and everything that depends on it.
It’s going to take all of us to protect the Bay from the dangers of Project 2025. Please join us today to fight for the Bay and for your future.
