In the 1970s the USSR, funded several environmental (some, then, conservation) groups, with the goal of shifting their energies toward hampering Western Industry to weaken the west.
Best money they ever spent, from that viewpoint.
What has emerged is a socialist (Communist) juggernaut of donation funded organizations (and some not self-funding, but getting grant money from all over) constantly 'protesting' and legally assailing any attempts at industrial development in the US.
Part of the reasoning given for 'outsourcing' was that it was cheaper, not just because of labor elsewhere, but because of the inevitable delays and expenses in siting, building, supplying, and operating any manufacturing facility due to litigation by a plethora of well-funded small groups and the expense of having to conduct a multitude of studies to finally get permits to proceed, often with moving target compliance goals.
While, during that era, there was legitimate concern over the handling of some industrial and other wastes, the standards have been continually and incrementally tightened in such a way that when one standard is met, another is imposed, causing greater expense and further delays in production.
Now we have a fraction of the industry, and the Green New Deal, and are less ready to meet the needs of our military and civilian population than ever.
We can't even supply ordinary day-to-day goods under the current stranglehold of regulations and litigation. For the first time since rural electrification, we are having serious questions about being able to supply electricity for our population.
This is a self-inflicted wound, and if something is not done to address it, it could prove fatal.
