Page 6 - CodeWatcher Spring 2017 Issue

CODEWATCHER

News & Trends

Energy Independence

and the Environment

The short version of the “Energy Independence” Executive Order.

BY MIKE COLLIGNON
T THE END OF MARCH, President
Trump signed the “Energy Indepen-
dence” Executive Order, which undoes
a number of environmentally-focused
governmental actions/programs.
First, it “directs the Environmental
Protection Agency to suspend, revise,
A or rescind four actions related to the
Clean Power Plan.” It also “lifts the ban on Federal leasing
for coal production” and removes “restrictions on the
production of oil, natural gas, and shale energy.”
Then, Trump has called for “all agencies to conduct a review
of existing actions that harm domestic energy production
and suspend, revise, or rescind actions that are not mandated
by law,” and expects to see agencies’ plans within 180 days
of the Order. He’s called on the same agencies to “to use the
best available science and economics in regulatory analysis,” Upon signing the Order, Trump said, “My administration
but according to Scott Johnson of Ars Technica, “Federal is putting an end to the war on coal. We’re going to have clean
agencies will be told to stop considering climate change coal, really clean coal.” Undoubtedly, the oil, gas and coal
when reviewing infrastructure projects. That includes industries are pleased with the Order. The U.S. Chamber
ignoring things like sea level rise and increasing flash of Commerce touted the signing in a statement, “The U.S.
flooding, which could easily destroy infrastructure or Chamber has long argued that EPA’s power plant regulations
render it irrelevant.” are not only unlawful, they are a bad deal for American
Finally, the Order also disbands the Interagency Working families and businesses.”
Group (IWG) on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases. Just A number of environmental advocacy groups and health
like the WOTUS Executive Order we reported on last month, organizations, including Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Environ-
this one shouldn’t be a surprise, either. Scott Pruitt, the new mental Defense Fund to the American Lung Association,
Director of the EPA, lead a lawsuit against the EPA (when he immediately spoke out against the Order. Yet the person with
was Oklahoma’s attorney general) to block the Clean Power the most interesting perspective on this might be Janet Mc-
Plan. That lawsuit is still being considered by the U.S. Court Cabe, the woman who helped craft the Obama administra-
of Appeals for the DC Circuit, and has in fact prevented the tion’s climate change policy.
Clean Power Plan from being enforced for almost 14 months. When asked by USA Today about a delay or full repeal
In advance of the Order’s signing, Pruitt said, “This is of the Clean Power Plan, McCabe said: “It’s not being
about making sure that we have a pro-growth and pro-envi- implemented now. It does appear that the utility industry...
ronment approach to how we do regulation in this country.” continued on page 7

6 CodeWatcher / Spring 2017 www.codewatcher.us