Growing up in the eighties in the Los Angeles area, we frequently had “smog alert” days at school where we were not allowed to run around at recess. That was not very long ago, and the impact emissions regulations have had just in that short time can’t be understated. Baffling that we elected in a party that wants to roll all of that back.
It bears repeating that major cities were full of constant toxic smog before clean air regulations. I remember reading that it was so bad around Detroit that people would sometimes pass out from Carbon Monoxide poisoning during traffic jams. Rivers used to CATCH FIRE before the EPA too.
Republicans only want the EPA gone because then they can sell protected land on the cheap to their masters, and get away with horrendous behavior during new industrial setup. What they fail to realize is that many of the protections enforced by the EPA have been hardbaked in to the industries and equipment, and killing the EPA will not get rid of that overnight.
Remember, factories can only pollute if they are functional. Or if whatever storage tanks they have on site ara damaged, so don't touch those. But the rest is fair game.