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Welcome to the final episode of ESCN’s March BADness 2026. It’s been a long, long, long season of badness. We started with 64 of the worst environmental actions taken by the Trump Administration, those that you saw in headlines and some that flew under the radar. One thing was clear, they were all terrible for our environment, but which would be crowned worst of the worst?
We asked, you answered, and after five rounds of voting, we have our answer. According to your votes, the most anti-environment action taken by Donald Trump is: reinstating illegal oil and gas leases in the Arctic Refuge.
This one had all the makings of March Badness infamy: handouts to corporate polluters, destruction of public lands and wildlife habitat, threatening endangered species, dirty fuels, and that’s before you get to the broken laws. So congratulations to Illegal Leases in the Arctic Refuge – it’s one shining moment for Big Oil CEOs.
While our tournament of terrible has come to an end, our work to protect our environment, communities, clean energy, and more is far from over. The only thing that can protect these things for future generations is people power, and that starts with you. Join us, make your voice heard, and stand up for our communities, our air and water, and our lands and wildlife! Learn more about each of these actions and add your name to protect what matters.
Championship Matchup
- (WINS) Reinstating illegal oil and gas leases in the Arctic Refuge
- Revoking the Public Lands Rule to prioritize corporate drilling, mining, and logging on public lands. Take action, Protect Public Lands from Corporate Polluters and Billionaires!