The Trump administration has removed nearly all mention of climate change from the White House website, says Reuters, while publishing a call for increased energy development and fewer environmental regulations.
“For too long, we’ve been held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry,” says the White House website. “President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than $30 billion over the next 7 years.”
The website also says that the administration plans to implement greater drilling and energy extraction on America’s public lands; the Obama administration had placed a moratorium on new coal leases on public land.
“We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own. We will use the revenues from energy production to rebuild our roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure. Less expensive energy will be a big boost to American agriculture, as well,” says the site.
Near the bottom of the page, “An America First Energy Plan,” the website gives a nod to environmental sustainability, saying that the EPA will be refocused on its “essential mission of protecting your air and water.”
In California, officials released a new climate-change plan 37 minutes after Donald Trump’s inauguration, outlining how the state will lower greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.
“The California plan includes an extension of the state’s controversial carbon cap-and-trade program and calls for the state’s oil refineries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent,” says Reuters. It also calls for an 18-percent reduction in the amount of carbon released by the transportation sector.
During his confirmation hearing, Scott Pruitt, Trump’s nominee for EPA secretary, said he intended to review the legality of California’s vehicle-emissions standards, which are stricter than those of the rest of the country.