What A Day - Legislating Environmental Justice with EPA's Michael Regan

Episode Date: November 19, 2021

House Democrats are on the verge of passing President Biden's Build Back Better bill, and once they do, it will head to the Senate. The $1.9 trillion social spending bill is a key part of Biden’s agenda.Both that legislation and the recently passed infrastructure bill have provisions to address climate change. And all this week, EPA administrator Michael Regan has been touring the country to get a first-hand look at polluted communities fighting for environmental justice. Regan joins us to discuss how those bills could lead to better investments in these communities, climate change, and more. And in headlines: Julius Jones’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison, more than 400 Iraqis flew home after weeks of life-threatening conditions at the Belarus-Poland border, and two Iranian nationals were indicted for interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.Show Notes:EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan to Embark on “Journey to Justice” Tour – https://bit.ly/3nsRBHsThe Guardian: “Residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley hopeful for action after EPA head’s visit” – https://bit.ly/3CzHqVEFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Friday, November 19th. I'm Gideon Resnick. And I am Priyanka Arabindi. And this is What A Day, where we are angling for an exclusive story where Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson say they are in love. No idea where to start. It's really not our expertise area at all. We can dream, but that is pretty much all we can do for now.

Dream and pray, as we have been. On today's show, Oklahoma's governor pardoned Julius Jones just hours before he was set to be executed, plus hundreds of migrants that were stuck at the border between Belarus and Poland have been flown back home to Iraq. But first, as of when we went to record on Thursday night, House Democrats were getting ready to pass President Biden's Build Back Better bill. The $1.9 trillion social spending bill is a key part of Biden's agenda. It expands social services, helps families and children, expands health care access, and provides funding to fight the climate crisis, all of which happen to be huge Democratic priorities. Yeah, okay, so let's set the table again. Remind us what the holdups were going into this.

Yeah. So Democrats had been waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to estimate the cost before casting their votes. The CBO estimated that it would increase the deficit by $367 billion over the next decade. But if you factor in the amount that could be brought in if the IRS would collect from tax cheats, which this bill does have provisions for, that number shrinks down to $160 billion. Very nifty. Okay, so then what's going to happen next in this whole process? Remind us. So the bill is expected to pass the House, but that is not the hard part. From there, it will head to the Senate, where it is still uncertain whether or not Democratic Senator Joe Manchin will support it. He has had a number of concerns about this bill, including the cost and that CBO score that we were all waiting for up until yesterday.

If he is still not on board, the bill will likely be edited even further to gain his approval. As always, when it comes to him, the rest of Congress, etc., we will keep you updated as we learn more. But that is all we know at the moment. Yeah, closer, not there yet. Related to this bill and the recently passed infrastructure bill is environmental justice and how the government can effectively invest in everyone, regardless of race, income, and more, so they can live in communities that are free of pollution. In Priyanka, all of this week, EPA Administrator Michael Regan has been touring the country to get a firsthand look at all of this. If there is a question that environmental justice is real in this country, anyone that has that question should be on a tour like this. It is very real. It is very heart-wrenching.

You got a chance to catch up with him between stops and his tour. What did you guys talk about? Tell me everything. Yeah, so when we were talking on Wednesday, he had already been to Jackson, Mississippi, and coincidentally, while he was there, officials issued a boil notice

as a result of the city's unreliable water system, which is crazy in terms of the timing. Regan was also in St. John's and St. James Parish in Louisiana. Saw a number of people who have a long list of medical issues, multiple generations of family members of the same household suffering from cancer, grain elevators, refineries, petrochemical facilities, rail yards, all surrounding one community. Wow. So those are just some of the audio diary entries that he sent into us from while he's been on the road. What else was he able to tell you? Yeah, so we talked about how these bills that we've been talking about could lead to better

investments in these communities that he visited, climate change, and a lot more. But I caught up with Regan at his stop in New Orleans, and I started out by asking what he's actually seen firsthand on this tour so far and what it's told him about where our country is at the moment. It's been eye-opening the past few days in Jackson, Mississippi. I was supposed to visit with students at an elementary school to talk about environmental education, but the school was evacuated because of no water pressure in the school. Wow. You know, in St. James and St.

John's Parish, the horrific stories about cancer and respiratory illness. We all know that these challenges exist, but to see them firsthand and to talk to people, what an experience. Yeah. And what has surprised you most over the course of this? Is this really relatively unexpected? Is sort of the depth and breadth of it unexpected? You know, the intensity of the industry and the cumulative impact of the pollution, air and water that put pressure on these communities has been really, really eye-opening. And what's clear to these community members is they have not been protected equally in this country for decades. And they believe that their government has failed

them. Can you talk about overcoming that? You know, many of these people have already endured generations of health issues and innumerable other things. So how do you kind of overcome that? You start with what we're doing, which is this journey to justice tour. You know, for far too long, the government has not only ignored these issues, but they've told these community members that they are wrong. I've been telling them that they are right, that they deserve better, and that together we can chart a path forward. So I'm curious, when you survey these situations yourself, how do you think the Build Back Better plan is going to sufficiently impact these communities? The Build Back Better agenda will be a significant shot in the arm for these communities.

EPA will receive over $50 billion just to focus on water infrastructure alone. So many of these water infrastructure, water quality problems that we're seeing, we can put the resources towards these communities that need it the most and relieve a lot of pressure that they've been facing. And so we're going to begin to tackle these problems with these resources that President Biden has helped lead us to have. And if the Build Back Better plan does not get passed, or it gets stripped down at some point, Congress did pass the infrastructure bill, which has $240 billion. It's earmarked for environmental justice. But is all of this enough for like the immenseness of this problem you're describing? You know, I think it's a tremendous shot in the arm. Obviously,

we wanted more. The president wanted more. But the amount that he is securing will be a significant shot in the arm. And really, we need to use these federal resources to invest in these communities, but it will also bring private capital off the sidelines. And I think we'll have a nice public-private investment strategy, and that should create a lot of momentum. I want to shift to COP26 for just a moment. Do you think the promises, agreements, everything that was made there was kind of sufficient? Were you and the administration sort of happy with how things ended up going there? You know, I think that things went well. I was there talking about the rules around HFCs,

which are multiple times more potent than CO2, our car and truck standards, and then the most stringent standard to reduce methane from the oil and gas industry. And so I think that people were excited to see America was back. And not only back, but back with a plan. But listen, I'm not gonna lie, there's a lot more work that needs to be done, not only from the United States, but from the international community as well. And did you have any other takeaways from there? Anything else that you were sort of thinking about after it was done? There's still a lot of work that needs to be done to phase out coal, but countries like China and India have to make more of a commitment. I believe that they will because the commitments that we're making in America are really reliant on evolving business

models, advanced technologies. So it will make us globally competitive and create jobs while protecting the planet. And I believe other countries will respond to our leadership. Some of our listeners had some questions for you as well. So first on Wednesday, this is after the conference, the Biden administration saw this pretty massive deal that would open more than, I think, 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to offshore drilling. That ultimately came about because of Republican attorneys general challenging the suspension of the sales. But one of our listeners asked basically why this would happen, quote, despite aggressive rhetoric on the need for action against climate change. You know, it's going to take a while for

this country and for the world to lean itself off of fossil fuels. But, you know, we have to keep fighting. We're going to see a few setbacks through legal hurdles. We're going to see a lot of political rhetoric that wants to disavow the science. But the majority of people in this country and the majority of the market and the infrastructure is responding mightily to climate change. And we have to keep moving forward. Does it feel frustrating at all after COP26 that those political challenges that you're alluding to are still there in terms of people not being on the same page, essentially? It's extremely frustrating. I have an eight-year-old son, and I constantly think about leaving this planet better than we found it. If we don't act now, we're going to be in real trouble.

And the political back and forth has no place right now in what we need to do to protect this planet, but also to create jobs and to remain globally competitive. And so there are just so many wins here that we can take advantage of. And pretending that the science isn't real and that the jobs aren't there is not good for the country. And another person, Caleb Brady, had a question for you about an upcoming Supreme Court case, West Virginia versus the EPA. That case challenges your agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases. So Caleb wanted to know your concerns about case challenges your agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases. So Caleb wanted to know your concerns about it and your contingency plans to enforce regulations, quote, in response to the almost inevitable 6-3 conservative opinion.

It is something that we're paying very close attention to. And I think the Supreme Court is more so taking a look at not whether or not we can regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but how expansive are our authorities. We're going to keep a close eye on what the Supreme Court is discussing, but we have to move forward with regulations that reduce carbon because this is what the planet needs, and we believe we have the legal authority to do so. And I want to wrap up here by going back to the ongoing tour. So how can listeners reach you to share stories about their communities and what they would

hope for from your agency or even the opportunity to ask questions or get in touch? You know, I think the listeners should tweet at us, contact us through Instagram, check out our website. Environmental justice is very core to everything that EPA is going to do during this administration. It's something that we're taking very seriously. And I'd like to say we believe that if we can get this right, it will serve as a rising tide for every community in this country. And so we have to do better and we will do better. Yes, Priyanka, that was my conversation with EPA Administrator Michael

Regan. You can see more of all of this on our social feeds later. Regan wraps up his tour today. We will have some links in our show notes so you can learn more. And that is the latest for now. It's Friday WOD Squad and today we are doing a segment called The Solution where we propose a fix to a news story that has created chaos in our world. Guiding us through it as always is our head writer John Milstein. Thank you guys very much for having me on the show to do this important work. Very important. We are blessed to have you here. All right. If you are feeling bad about your prospects

of ever owning a home, here is a story to uplift and inspire you. Someone just listed Madonna's former Miami mansion for $30 million, and that someone is an animal whose brain is too small to comprehend the concept of property. The seller is a German shepherd

named Gunther VI. According to reports from NPR, the AP, Newsweek, and countless others, he was born into wealth as the heir to a fortune once held by a German countess. The story goes that the countess

left her money to Gunther's dog grandfather, presumably Gunther IV, on her death in 1992. It has been managed by a board since then, and it's now valued at $500 million. Wow. By some accounts, the youngest Gunther lives in Madonna's old bedroom, eats caviar, travels by private jet, and does a hundred other things that give him way less joy than it would to literally roll around on a dead rat since he is a dog. It's true. Other accounts say that the Gunther story is completely made up and is just a way for the real owner of Madonna's old house, the fame-hungry son of an Italian billionaire, to generate publicity.

In debunking this story, the New York Post said that the law in the United States doesn't even allow animals to own homes. That feels like a couth law. There you go. Even if the animal has a fancy name like Gunther VI. It's all a lot to take in, and we have only just begun to separate fact from fiction. So for the probably untrue story of Gunther the dog who is selling Madonna's old house, here is John with a highly anticipated solution. The solution to this story is actually very simple. I need to become way smarter so I can avoid being tricked by rich Italians

hellbent on making me look stupid in front of all my best friends. Tell the truth. I spent two hours of my one precious life learning the story of Gunther, lapping up every infuriating detail in the way that I assume a rich dog drinks sparkling water, feeling extremely confident that I assume a rich dog drinks sparkling water,

feeling extremely confident that I had found something true and hilarious I could use to succeed at my job. My idea was that I would say that Gunther should be the first ever dog to feel shame and I was going to propose cyberbullying him until he gave his money away or moved to Austin, Texas to become libertarian. Those ideas are all useless now since the story is fake and all i have to blame is my own barely functional brain though madonna herself was also tricked into thinking this story was real she posted it on her instagram so maybe i shouldn't be so hard on myself to become smarter in the future i'll use a combination of reading having smarter friends eating powerful untested pills, and wearing a helmet. My newly strong mind will shield me against all stories that make me resent dogs,

who are our world's most beautiful creatures and really deserve nothing but our love and compassion. And perhaps all the money in the world. Wow. I think this is your best solution yet. I don't know how you're ever going to top this. I really did dig into this story for a long time and just thought, how could this be real? It's so hilarious. And it turns out it's not real at all. You know, but like not a bad day to spend a day at work.

Yeah. You know? Yeah. Just enjoying yarns about billionaire dogs. I'm just glad that you're finally going to accept those gas station pills i keep offering you you know it's about time that somebody else had those that was the solution we will be back after some ads let's wrap up with some headlines headlines julius jones was scheduled to be executed for a murder conviction yesterday afternoon, but just hours before, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order commuting Jones'

sentence to life in prison without parole. In 1999, Jones was convicted in the murder of Paul Howell, who was killed in a carjacking. At the time, Jones was a 19-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma and a promising basketball star. At the time, Jones was a 19-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma and a promising basketball star. He always maintained his innocence and said that he was framed by the actual shooter who has since allegedly confessed to the killing. The Innocence Project high-profile athletes

such as Steph Curry and celebrities like Kim Kardashian spoke out against Jones receiving the death penalty. And earlier this month, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency. After Governor Stitt signed the executive order, Jones's mother released a statement expressing gratitude that her son was not sentenced to death for a, quote, murder that occurred when he was home with his family. I'm very glad that this happened. But listening to this, it sounds like there's a lot more that needs to happen, you know, with this case. So here's hoping here is hoping more than 400 Iraqis were reportedly flown home from Belarus on Thursday after weeks of

life threatening conditions at the border that the country shares with Poland. Migrants have been camped out in freezing temperatures, seeking the opportunity for a better life in the European Union, of which Poland is a part. Many others who were left behind have apparently been moved into a warehouse by Belarusian authorities, though there is a certain lack of clarity here because both Belarus and Poland have been trying to craft their own narratives. All the while, people on the ground have been suffering. One man in an AP report said that he, quote, had to live on three dates in a whole day. The UN Refugee Agency said that about half of the migrants there were women and children. At least 12 people

reportedly died in recent weeks, including a one-year-old. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been attempting to figure out an end to the crisis, but has also not indicated that she will accept migrants into the country at the same scale as happened in 2015. Two Iranian nationals were indicted by the Justice Department yesterday for interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The two men are accused of a hacking and disinformation campaign between August and November of last year that specifically targeted American voters. They allegedly sent threatening emails to scare voters, gained access to U.S. media companies, computer networks, and broke into 11 states voting related websites. Not an insignificant amount of states. Definitely not.

No, more than a handful. voters the month before the election, claiming to be proud boys who would physically attack email recipients if they did not change their party affiliation and vote for former President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Matthew G. Olson, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said they do not believe anyone switched their party affiliation or voted differently as a result of the emails. That is good. He also said that the DOJ is going to continue to fight foreign disinformation campaigns and the government imposed sanctions against multiple people tied to an Iranian company behind these cyber attacks. You know, I'm glad about the emails that nobody changed, you know, who they were voting for,

their affiliations, etc. But also, like, who is not at this point trying to hack into our elections? Like, would just love to know. It feels like everybody, everybody is doing this. It's a real may the best man win strategy. May the best man, woman, fake proud boy win, you know. I guess. There is trouble in the metaverse.

Yes, there is. Since a bipartisan coalition of eight state attorneys general announced that they are formally investigating Instagram's harmful effects on children. This comes after whistleblower Francis Haugen's leak of multiple studies showing the app's negative impact on kids, particularly teenage girls who are struggling with body image issues. The AGs from states including Massachusetts and California believe that Meta, which was formerly known as Facebook, has violated consumer protection laws

and has put the public at risk by intentionally gearing its platform towards younger users. In echoing earlier responses to these findings, a spokesperson for Meta told the Wall Street Journal that the whole thing is a misunderstanding and called out other social media companies for using similar tactics. OK, then the full list of states were joining. The investigation has yet to be made public. But a Massachusetts spokesperson said that it is, quote, broad and nationwide. Wow, yeah.

Again, in describing the number of states in a headline that we've read, quite a lot. Broad and nationwide sounds like quite a lot of people are involved. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. Do you have opinions about What A Day,

the show that you were listening to? Now is your chance to let us know. Leave us a review and tell us what you want to hear. We really, really appreciate the feedback and can't wait to read what you submit, so long as it's extremely nice and sweet and involves five stars. Yeah, just like, you know, throw some names in there, throw some stars, we could use it. That is all for today. If you are into reading and not just the contact info of Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian like me, I wish. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe.

I am Priyanka Arabindi. I'm Gideon Resnick. And don't trick us anymore, rich dogs. Yeah. I'm over these rich dogs. I'm tired. They are living the lay. I'm over these rich dogs. I'm tired. They are living the life. Class warfare, but among dogs.

I support it. I'm just going to say. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Jazzy Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our executive producers are Leo Duran and me, Gideon Resnick. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.