Trump Waives Pollution Rules as Campaign Sells Power

Donald Trump waived state and federal water-pollution rules for a golf-course renovation at Joint Base Andrews, a Superfund site where Maryland officials warn contaminated runoff could affect nearby neighborhoods. The base is listed as a cleanup priority and contains heavy metals, PCBs and “forever chemicals.” State inspectors say they haven’t received access to assess the work; the base disputes that account.

The renovation sits alongside a campaign season of promises, rallies and projects presented as proof that power at the top is delivering for people below. More than 40 million Americans had voted or mailed ballots by Wednesday night, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. Former U.S. President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump held rival rallies in Georgia and Ohio on Wednesday, Oct. 28, trading attacks over Iran, tariffs, the economy and White House renovations.

A protester interrupted Trump in Chillicothe by shouting about Jeffrey Epstein. Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that protesters were paid to disrupt his rallies. Two more protesters interrupted him. At the rally, Trump repeated that he had thrown Epstein out of his Florida club about two decades earlier and accused Democrats of using the controversy against him.

A waiver for the powerful

Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain wrote to the base commander on Thursday, Oct. 22, raising “serious concerns” about contaminated runoff. She said the Air Force had denied state inspectors access to the site in Prince George's County, just over the border from Washington. “I take this matter seriously. My inspectors have a responsibility to assess potential environmental impacts and compliance with applicable requirements, and I expect the base to cooperate with them in carrying out that responsibility,” she wrote.

A Joint Base Andrews spokesperson said a state inspector “was escorted onto the installation.” Maryland Department of Environment spokesperson Dave Abrams said the Air Force had indicated it did not plan to apply for wetlands permits and had not completed erosion and stormwater-control permit applications. “The Air Force has indicated that it intends to proceed with construction before receiving those approvals,” Abrams said. Trump's waiver changed which rules applied to a renovation that would typically require permits for effects on wetlands and streams.

The site sits atop one of several landfills. Clifford Villa, a University of New Mexico law professor and former senior EPA official under the Biden administration, said golf courses can cap pollution at landfills, but poorly managed renovation could release pollutants. “At Andrews, they have contamination with lead, asbestos ... they have some serious contaminants there going back a lot of years,” Villa said. “So this is not insubstantial and not an insubstantial potential for release of contaminants in the soil and beneath the cap.”

The base also faces scrutiny over a March jet-fuel spill that sent more than 22,000 gallons of hazardous liquid into soil and Piscataway Creek, a Potomac River tributary. Maryland began an environmental investigation and ongoing water-quality monitoring. All nine Democratic members of Maryland's congressional delegation wrote to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink on Wednesday expressing frustration with the cleanup. The base said remediation would continue until water quality met state standards. Piscataway Creek was already under an advisory for “forever chemicals” from firefighting foam previously used on base.

Campaign promises, uncertain delivery

On the campaign trail, Trump promoted billions of dollars in proposed factories, energy projects and jobs. Reuters reported that companies and governments involved said some plans remained uncertain or years away from economic benefits. The projects included an Alaska LNG pipeline, an Iowa steel mill, a Texas power plant, a Kentucky pharmaceutical project and a North Carolina quartz mine. Reuters/Ipsos polls showed voters remained frustrated by the cost of living, while energy prices rose amid the U.S.-Iran war.

Trump announced a $200 billion South Korean investment pledge for U.S. energy systems, including the Alaska pipeline. Seoul said no decision had been made on whether to invest or how much. Financing and the construction timetable for a Texas power plant in the package remained uncertain. A planned $15 billion Iowa steel complex was promoted alongside Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and other Iowa Republicans; its company said production would not begin until 2030. Iowa lawmakers approved more than $1.3 billion in tax incentives tied to operation, hiring and production targets, while the company said it had not finalized a deal with the state and was still working to secure full funding.

Trump also pledged $100 million in Pentagon funding for Anthea to revive a shuttered drug plant in Kentucky, making the money conditional on Republicans winning the midterms. Details remained sparse, and the office of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said it knew nothing about the project. In North Carolina, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced an investment described as “hundreds of millions of dollars” for Sibelco. The company later said the federal investment would be $56 million, subject to further negotiations and approvals.

The cost behind the stump speech

At Obama's Atlanta rally, he said the Iran war had made Americans less safe and called it “an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for.” The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran responded with attacks on U.S. military assets across the region and closed the Strait of Hormuz, while efforts to secure lasting peace stalled. Obama said, “We have run down our stock of missiles, making us more vulnerable,” and connected the conflict to rising oil, diesel and other prices.

Obama also said Trump's tariffs had increased consumer costs. “Economists said when you impose tariffs, consumers pay the tab,” he said. “And that's exactly what happened.” Trump defended the military campaign and claimed the United States was making money from oil during the war, while acknowledging Americans were “paying a little higher” in costs. He said, “I don't give a damn. We are making a freaking fortune.”

The rally schedule was built to energize Republican turnout in states the party had long carried. Don Haider-Markel, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said the schedule reflected “not just the tilt toward Democrats, but also the lack of enthusiasm among Republican voters for this election.” Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters described the contest as “a turnout, turnout, turnout race.” Meanwhile, proposed projects remained contingent, household costs remained a campaign issue, and a military base renovation proceeded under a waiver as state officials raised concerns about pollution.