President Trump is preparing to issue an executive order on climate change, which could disassemble former President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and end the moratorium on federal-land coal mining. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already issued an order informing power plants that they no longer need to report CO2 emissions’ data.
The final version of the Clean Power Plan set a national limit on CO2 produced from power plants. But in early 2016 the Supreme Court stayed implementation of the Plan pending judicial review. The EPA still says, on its website, that it disagrees with the decision: “The EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the merits are considered because the rule rests on strong scientific and legal foundations.”
According to its website, the EPA says “The Clean Power Plan… [has] strong but achievable standards for power plants, and customized goals for states to cut the carbon pollution that is driving climate change… It also shows the world that the United States is committed to leading global efforts to address climate change.”
Trump is said to be considering a broader order than originally thought. Sources say it could include other provisions aimed at climate regulations in general, oil and gas drilling rules and reducing the US' commitment in the Paris climate accord.
The energy sector and Republicans in Congress are pressing Trump to go big, but to make sure his actions can withstand legal challenges.
“There’s some discussion about how much to throw into it, how comprehensive it’ll be,” said Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Trump ally who served as an adviser on energy during the presidential campaign. During his election campaign, Trump promised to roll back Obama’s climate agenda and reduce regulations.
Trump’s first budget last week proposed cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by 31%, and he has already introduced a raft of reforms that together have unwound eight years of multi-agency environmental policies and regulations.
However, environmentalists are gearing up to fight the changes through the courts. Trump’s actions won’t immediately invalidate Obama’s climate rules, but they will direct federal agencies to rewrite them. That gives his opponents the chance to influence the process, or at least lay the foundation for legal challenges.