During the Trump Administration, the EPA announced that it was revoking California's waiver that allowed the State to set stricter vehicle emission standards than those contained in federal law. This is a Commerce Clause issue in that individual states may not enact laws that burden interstate commerce. California was granted a waiver in the 1960's in order to address their unique problems with air pollution. The EPA sued California and several automakers who supported retaining the stricter standards. The EPA lost the case in federal court so the California standards will remain in effect for now. The EPA has also relaxed standards for industry related to methane gas emissions for certain industries and rules related to protection of waterways and wetlands.

Deregulation of various industries has been a priority when the Republican party has been in power, dating back to the Reagan Administration. The positive effect is, in theory, less governmental oversight and regulation allows businesses to grow and become more profitable. The fundamental idea is that business and the markets do a better job regulating industry than the government does. The downside is that less control of business and industry relies heavily on their being good corporate citizens and policing themselves. This concerns many people as it relates to health, the environment and issues associated with climate change.

Do you feel less government regulation has a positive effect on the economy? Do you think that business and industry will make decisions based on maximizing profits or will they consider their responsibilities to society as a whole? Can you cite some examples of businesses that recognize their duty to society and some that do not?