President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed sweeping new environmental protection rules for the United States, arguing the rules are needed to protect the environment and the economy.
The plan is expected to come into effect in March, and experts say it is likely to spark widespread protests.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed rules that would force states to put a moratorium on burning fossil fuels, reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, and limit harmful air pollution.
“It is not just the environment but the economy that will suffer as a result of these policies, which would cost jobs and undermine our ability to create jobs, grow the economy, and create jobs here in the United Kingdom,” Trump said at the White House.
“We must protect our economy, our environment, and our people from the consequences of these reckless policies.”
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) issued a statement calling the plan “disappointing” and “dangerous” and said that it could lead to a “crushing economic blowback on the U.S.”
The organization said that the plan would also have a chilling effect on American companies and industry.
“President Trump is clearly not listening to the concerns of the people of the United State,” EDF executive director Robert Brulle said in a statement.
“He is setting a dangerous precedent that could lead us into the same economic tailspin that occurred in Europe when they were forced to impose their own carbon tax.”
The EDF also said that while the new environmental rules would protect the U
