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Presidential Executive Order 13783 (Donald Trump, 2017)
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Executive Order 13783: Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth was a presidential executive order issued by President Donald Trump (R) in March 2017 that established the Trump administration's policy for energy regulation. The order stated that "[i]t is in the national interest to promote clean and safe development of our Nation’s vast energy resources, while at the same time avoiding regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth, and prevent job creation." E.O. 13783 also called for an agency-wide review of all rules related to domestic energy development and rescinded a number of regulations concerning energy and climate policy.[1]
President Joe Biden (D) revoked E.O. 13783 on January 20, 2021, via E.O. 13990.
Background
In 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's (R) campaign platform included a pledge to rein in what he considered to be burdensome federal regulations that slowed down economic growth.[2] On March 28, 2017, Trump issued Executive Order 13783, titled "Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth." The order established the Trump administration's policy to promote the development of domestic energy resources, called for a review of all agency regulations related to domestic energy to ensure consistency with the broader policy, and rolled back a number or agency rules and executive actions related to energy and climate policy. In a press conference announcing the order, Trump stated, "I am going to lift the restrictions on American energy, and allow this wealth to pour into our communities."[1][3]
Impact
E&E News, a news organization focused on energy and the environment, analyzed the impact of E.O. 13783 in March 2018. The analysis examined the status of the following regulatory actions subject to the order:[4]
- Clean Power Plan: The order required the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and revise the Clean Power Plan in light of the Trump administration's energy policy. The plan had been stayed by a Supreme Court order in 2016. As of March 2018, litigation concerning the Clean Power Plan was on hold pending any regulatory changes. The EPA had solicited comments and held listening sessions to seek feedback on the plan.
- Fracking regulations: The order rescinded Obama-era rules related to fracking on public and tribal lands. As of March 2018, a lawsuit filed by California and environmental groups was moving through federal district court in California.
- EPA methane standards: Obama-era rules regarding oil and gas methane emissions remained in effect as of March 2018. The EPA's rescission of the rules was reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the summer of 2017. The agency proposed a two-year freeze on the rules, but no further action had been taken as of March 2018.
- BLM methane rule: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced plans to revise and roll back the Obama-era standards for natural gas waste on public and tribal lands in early 2018. As of March 2018, the rules remained in effect.
- Oil and gas rules for other public lands: The U.S. Department of the Interior had yet to revise regulations related to non-federal oil and gas rights beneath land managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as of March 2018.
- Coal leasing: The U.S. Department of the Interior authorized leases for roughly 40 million tons of coal in 2017. Companies, on the other hand, withdrew applications for 901 million tons of coal as of March 2018.
Provisions
Purpose and policy
E.O. 13783 established the following policy regarding the Trump administration's approach to domestic energy regulation:
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The order called on executive departments and agencies to review energy regulations and revise or rescind those with burdensome economic impacts. The order defined "burden" as "to unnecessarily obstruct, delay, curtail, or otherwise impose significant costs on the siting, permitting, production, utilization, transmission, or delivery of energy resources." Agencies were also directed to promote clean air and water initiatives while respecting the constitutional roles of Congress and the states. Lastly, the order requested agencies to develop regulations through transparent processes where the economic benefits exceed the regulatory costs and produce overall improvements for Americans.[1]
Regulatory review
- See also: Regulatory review
E.O. 13783 required all agencies to conduct a review of regulations impacting domestic energy development:
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Within 45 days of the date of the order, agency heads were required to submit a plan to the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for carrying out the review process. Agencies without applicable regulations were required to submit a statement confirming that they did not administer rules related to the order. Within 120 days of the date of the order, agencies were required to submit a draft final report outlining recommendations to alleviate the regulatory burdens on domestic energy development posed by regulations identified in the review plan. The order required agencies to submit the final version of the report within 180 days. The order directed agency heads to take action on the recommendations in the final report as soon as possible and to issue the appropriate notices in the Federal Register.
Rescission of executive orders
The order rescinded the following executive orders, memoranda, and reports related to climate and energy regulation:
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The order also directed agency heads to revise or suspend any actions related to the above documents.[1]
Review of the Clean Power Plan
- See also: Clean Power Plan
E.O. 13783 directed the EPA administrator to review certain regulatory actions related to the Clean Power Plan to ensure consistency with the administration's overall energy policy. The following final rules were subject to review:
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The order required the EPA administrator to inform the U.S. attorney general of any changes in order to provide notice to federal courts with related pending litigation.[1]
Review of social cost estimates
The order stated that the social cost estimates related to carbon, nitrous oxide, and methane that are used to perform regulatory impact analyses, or cost benefit analyses, must be based on the "best available science and economics." The order disbanded the Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (IWG) and revoked six of the IWG's technical documents related to the social cost of carbon. The order also directed agencies to ensure that monetized values for greenhouse gas emissions "are consistent with the guidance contained in OMB Circular A-4 of September 17, 2003 (Regulatory Analysis), which was issued after peer review and public comment and has been widely accepted for more than a decade as embodying the best practices for conducting regulatory cost-benefit analysis."[1]
Coal leasing moratorium
E.O. 13783 authorized the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to lift the moratorium on federal land coal leasing:
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Review of oil and gas regulations
E.O. 13783 directed the administrator of the EPA to review and revise the following rule related to oil and gas emission standards:
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The order also directed the secretary of the Interior Department to review and revise the following regulations related to oil and gas production on federal and tribal lands:
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The order required the Interior secretary to inform the U.S. attorney general of any changes in order to provide notice to federal courts with related pending litigation.[1]
See also
- Regulatory review
- U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
- U.S. Office of Management and Budget
- Significant regulatory action
External links
- Executive Order 13783: Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth (2017)
- RegInfo.gov
- Regulations.gov
- Search Google News for this topic
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 WhiteHouse.gov, "Presidential Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bannon vows a daily fight for ‘deconstruction of the administrative state,'" February 23, 2017
- ↑ Whitehouse.gov, "President Trump’s Energy Independence Policy," March 28, 2017
- ↑ E&E News, "A year after Trump's energy order, rollbacks inch forward," March 28, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.