Federal policy on energy and the environment, 2017-2018
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During his presidency, President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider formally repealing Clean Power Plan, a federal rule finalized in 2015 mandating the reduction of carbon dioxide and similar emissions from power plants, and an order directing the EPA to rewrite or repeal the 2015 Waters of the United States rule, which was issued by the EPA in 2015 to expand the bodies of water that fall under federal jurisdiction. In addition, the U.S. State Department under Trump issued a presidential permit approving the Keystone XL pipeline, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to allow construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Crater Lake, North Dakota.
This article serves as a portal to Ballotpedia's coverage of energy and environmental policy under the Trump administration.
Energy and environmental policy in Trump's first year
Click the links below for more information on the Trump administration's actions on the following energy and environmental policy areas.
Government officials on energy and environmental policy
For comments and actions by Trump administration officials on energy and environmental policy, click here.
115th Congress on energy and environment
Federal land
Planning 2.0 rule
- March 27, 2017: President Trump signed a repeal of the Planning 2.0 rule.[1]
- March 7, 2017: The U.S. Senate passed a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to reverse the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 2016 rule revising federal land planning and management procedures. The rule would have changed federal procedures on public participation in BLM decisions and the use of data and technology in mining, drilling, and logging decisions. The resolution was passed by a vote of 51 to 48. President Trump signed the repeal into law on March 27, 2017.[2]
- February 8, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to reverse the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 2016 rule revising federal land planning and management procedures. The rule would have changed federal procedures on public participation in BLM decisions and the use of data and technology in mining, drilling, and logging decisions. The resolution passed by a vote of 234 to 186.[1]
Natural gas pipelines
- July 19, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 248-179 to streamline the federal permitting process for approving interstate natural gas pipelines. The bill would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to hold all permitting responsibilities for approving interstate natural gas pipelines and increase coordination among federal and state agencies involved in the process. The bill would also require them to finalize decisions on natural gas pipelines 90 days after an environmental impact report is published.[3][4]
- July 19, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 254-175 to give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) primary authority over permitting all oil and natural gas pipelines that cross the U.S. border with Mexico or Canada. The bill would remove federal authority from the U.S. Department of State to approve cross-border pipelines and would end the requirement that such pipelines require a presidential permit to be approved.[3][4]
Ozone standards
- July 18, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 229-119 to delay implementation of the federal ground-level ozone (smog) standard for 70 parts per billion (ppb), which was issued by the EPA under the Obama administration in October 2015. The bill would delay the standard's implementation until the year 2025 and would require the EPA to reconsider the federal ozone standard every 10 years instead of every five years.[5]
Methane regulation
- May 10, 2017: The U.S. Senate rejected the resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's rule on the venting and flaring of methane from natural gas wells on federal land. The Senate rejected the resolution by a 51-49 vote.[6]
- February 3, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's rule on the venting and flaring of methane from natural gas wells on federal land. The rule would limit methane releases from natural gas wells and limit flaring, a process by which flammable natural gas is burned under controlled conditions during natural gas production. The House passed the resolution by a vote of 221 to 191.[7]
- January 30, 2017: Sen. John Barrasso (R) introduced a resolution to repeal federal regulations on the venting and flaring of methane at new and existing oil and natural gas operations. The regulations require oil and gas producers to limit methane emissions from wells, pumps, and compressors as well as along the routes used to transport oil and natural gas. Rep. Rob Bishop (R) introduced a similar resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.[8]
Stream buffer rule
- February 3, 2017: The U.S. Senate passed a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Stream Protection Rule, which required 100-foot buffer zones between streams and coal mining sites. In addition, the rule required coal mining companies to restore streams to their pre-mining conditions after mining is completed. The Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 54 to 45. President Trump signed the repeal into law on February 16, 2017.[9]
- February 1, 2017: The U.S. House of Representatives voted for a resolution under the Congressional Review Act disapproving of the Interior Department’s Stream Protection Rule, which required 100-foot buffer zones between streams and coal mining sites. In addition, the rule required coal mining companies to restore streams to their pre-mining conditions after mining is completed. The resolution passed by a vote of 228 to 194. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to reverse new federal regulations within 60 legislative days of their finalization.[10]
- January 30, 2017: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R) introduced a resolution to repeal the Stream Protection Rule, which required 100-foot buffer zones between streams and coal mining sites. In addition, the rule required coal mining companies to restore streams to their pre-mining conditions after mining is completed.[8]
Aim of energy policy in the United States
- See also: Energy policy in the United States
Energy policy in the United States aims to provide reliable, affordable energy for consumers in a way that maintains environmental and health protections and minimizes pollution and other negative environmental and health impacts. According to a 2015 report by the Congressional Research Service, the three main goals of energy policy in the United States since the 1970s have been "to assure a secure supply of energy, to keep energy costs low enough to meet the needs of a growing economy, and to protect the environment while producing and consuming that energy." Energy policy has expanded as oil and natural gas production has expanded, and technological advances have made the recovery of previously untapped oil and natural gas reserves economically feasible. As a result, daily oil and gas output in the United States increased by 42 percent and 29 percent, respectively, from April 2006 to April 2016. Much of the political debate on energy policy has centered on the federal government's role in influencing how energy is produced, transmitted, and consumed.[11][12][13]
Aim of environmental policy in the United States
Environmental policy in the United States aims to conserve natural resources and maintain air, water, and land quality in order to protect public health and the natural environment. Policymakers balance environmental protection with economic growth, property rights, public health, and energy production and use. This is done mainly through laws and regulation passed at the federal, state, and local levels and influenced by many stakeholders with different agendas. Environmental policy covers air and water pollution, chemical and oil spills, waste disposal, safety and environmental protections at onshore and offshore energy production sites, smog, drinking water quality, land conservation and management, and wildlife protection, including the protection of endangered species. Environmental policy has also expanded to include global warming and the theory of human-made climate change.[14]
See also
- Federal policy on energy, 2017-2018
- Federal policy on environmental regulations, 2017-2018
- Federal policy on climate change, 2017
- Federal policy on methane regulation, 2017
- Federal policy on ozone standards, 2017
- Federal policy on the Waters of the United States rule, 2017
- Federal policy on the Paris Climate Agreement, 2017
- Federal policy on climate change, 2017
- Federal policy on federal land management and use, 2017-2018
- Federal policy on endangered species, 2017
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Hill, "House passes bill to block Obama land planning rule," February 7, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate passes bill ending Obama-era land rule," March 7, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bloomberg BNA, "House Votes for More Energy Regulator Authority Over Pipelines," July 19, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington Examiner, "House votes to give FERC new power over pipelines," July 19, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "House votes to roll back Obama-era ozone standards," July 18, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "Senate unexpectedly rejects bid to repeal a key Obama-era environmental regulation," May 10, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "House votes to overturn Obama drilling rule," February 3, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Washington Examiner, "GOP lines up to scrap midnight energy rules," January 30, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate votes to block Obama coal rule," February 3, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "House votes to strike down two Obama-era rules," February 1, 2017
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Energy Policy: 114th Congress Issues," January 5, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Weekly U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil," June 30, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Natural Gas," June 30, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Legal, "Environmental Policy," accessed November 23, 2016
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