Anyone with even a passing interest in environmental law has seen numerous articles over the past four years noting the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back this or that environmental regulation. ACOEL’s blog contains dozens of such posts, and the New York Times is probably not far behind. The NYT aptly reflected the thrust of most such commentary in a recent article:

“All told, the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks could significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and lead to thousands of extra deaths from poor air quality each year, according to energy and legal analysts.” (emphasis added)

“Environmental rollbacks lead to extra deaths” was a story line long

before there was ever a Trump administration, of course, but never, until now, have I seen the reverse, namely “extra deaths lead to environmental rollbacks.”

On January 17, 2021, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District issued Executive Order 2021-01, which notes:

• “… the current rate of deaths in Los Angeles County is more than double that of pre-pandemic years ...”;
• "… the growing backlog of cremation cases within the county constitutes a threat to public health …”; and
• “… permits issued by South Coast AQMD and currently in effect for human crematoria contain limits on the number of cremations … that may be cremated each month ….”

SCAQMD then proceeded to roll back the permit limits on crematoria (on a temporary basis).

Normally I’d now offer a snarky comment, but this is all just so sad that I can’t bring myself to write it, so you’re on your own.