On Tuesday, Trump will sign an executive order which aims to undo Obama’s 2013 Climate Action Plan<\/b>
Last Updated Mar 28, 2017 3:31 AM EDT
President Trump will sign a sweeping executive order on Tuesday to begin the process of dismantling environmental regulations implemented under the Obama administration to aggressively fight climate change.
The Energy Independence executive order, which Trump will sign at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), attacks the core of President Obama\u2019s 2013 Climate Action Plan. A senior White House official said Monday that the order \u201cdirects the EPA to suspend, revise, or rescind the Clean Power Plan,\u201d adding that the EPA would \u201cproceed in a manner that upholds the rule of law\u201d and would continue to abide by the Clean Air Act.
The executive order also mandates that every agency conduct a 180-day review that identifies all regulations and rules that \u201cimpede\u201d energy production. Mr. Trump plans to use the reports to craft his administration\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d energy blueprint to serve what the administration calls the \u201ctwin goal\u201d of protecting the environment and strengthening the economy by promoting energy production.
According to the senior administration official, Mr. Trump aims to \u201cstrengthen the nation\u2019s energy security by reducing unnecessary regulatory obstacles that restrict the responsible use of domestic energy resources. This order will help keep energy and electricity affordable, reliable, and clean in order to boost economic growth and job creation.\u201d
Scott Pruitt , the head of the EPA, echoed the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cpro-growth and pro-environment approach to how we do regulation in this country\u201d on ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d on Sunday.
But critics argue that Mr. Trump\u2019s anti-climate change initiatives that resist transitioning from coal and gas to clean energy will in fact hurt the economy.
\u201cThe best way to protect workers and the environment is to invest in growing the clean energy economy that is already outpacing fossil fuels, and ensuring no one is left behind,\u201d Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club, wrote in a statement. \u201cAt a time when we can declare independence from dirty fuels by embracing clean energy, this action could only deepen our dependence on fuels that pollute our air, water and climate while making our kids sicker.\u201d
Mr. Trump\u2019s executive order also lifts the moratorium on federal coal leasing, rescinds restrictions on hydraulic fracking, and eliminates the National Environmental Policy Act, a set of guidelines for agencies to consider climate change into their decision making process.
While the Trump administration initiates a review of President Obama\u2019s Clean Power Plan, the White House is lifting the moratorium on federal coal leasing, and rolling back the federal regulation of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
The senior White House official said that the president and the administration accept the scientific view of climate change but they disagree with the Obama administration over policy prescriptions.
There is no mention of the Paris Agreement on climate change, from which Mr. Trump has previously said he would withdraw. Roughly 200 countries agreed to the climate plan that cuts greenhouse gases, but the senior administration official says that they have not made a final decision on the matter.<\/p>\n

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