Repudiating the Paris Agreement Is Just the Latest In Trump’s War On Environmental Extremism

As President Trump delivers on one of his campaign promises this hour, to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, it is a good time to look at the vigorous war the Trump administration has waged upon Obama’s attempt to relegate the US to an economic basket case by his pursuit of government-subsidized “green energy” projects that existed mostly to enrich his cronies. The list is fairly long.

Trump ordered the EPA to take the first steps toward repealing Obama’s Clean Power Plan. The freeze on coal leases on federal lands has been lifted. Royalty payments for extracting oil, gas, and coal from federal lands have been stabilized. A review has been ordered for Obama policies that are forcing premature retirement of power plants. Restrictions on drilling in Arctic waters have been lifted and the possibility of allowing drilling on the Atlantic continental shelf is being considered. Rules of fracked oil and gas wells on federal lands are being rewritten and new rules on air quality at offshore platforms are being reviewed. Congress repealed a rule that would have closed a lot of federal land to drilling. EPA has ceased working on rule that would have imposed restrictions on methane emissions in drilling. Marine sanctuaries may be opened to drilling. The Keystone Pipeline XL is pumping oil.

And there is more.

EPA is reviewing and rewriting its auto emissions standards. Several DoE energy efficiency rules have been effectively killed. EPA is review a “waiver” granted to California allowing it to impose tighter emissions standards on construction equipment. EPA determining which of several rules now under litigation that it will defend opening the possibility of a wave of sue-and-settle actions. Trump’s 2018 budget cuts EPA by 31% and climate “research” in general. EPA has already reassigned employees who were ” working on adapting to the effects of climate change.” Trump has proposed eliminating that engine of graft, cronyism and corruption that is Energy’s loan program (the fellows that brought you Solyndra) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy which throws money at politically connected companies to find technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Regardless of what you think of Trump, you should be able to give him credit in rolling back the enviro-idiocy of the past thirty years.

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