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On 7 November, Joe Biden became the projected president-elect of the United States. With an aggressive climate change plan that includes rejoining the Paris Agreement on the first day of his term, President-Elect Biden and his administration likely will make significant changes to environmental, health, and safety rules and policies that will roll back Trump administration environmental actions and increase civil and criminal enforcement of environmental laws. The Trump administration took deregulatory actions that weakened or repealed more than 100 environmental policies and regulations. For example, President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which set targets for greenhouse gas emissions for existing power plants, was repealed and replaced with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which removed emission targets and directed states to determine the best course of action for regulating power plant emissions. The Trump administration issued the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule, which authorized the Department of Transportation to establish fuel economy standards and preempted similar state regulations, including California's regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions for new passenger cars and light trucks.
On the day he was sworn in as US President, Joe Biden immediately raised questions about the future of US oil and gas exploration. The big unknown was first wrapped up in an order that quietly slipped out of the US Department of the Interior on Monday. It declared a 60-day moratorium on issuing leases and permits for oil development on federal lands and waters. Biden said during his campaign that he would be looking at stiffer restrictions and by Wednesday his administration made good on that promise after issuing an executive order to that end. According to a fact sheet posted online by the White House, the US Department of the Interior has been instructed to pause new leases for oil and developments in federal onshore and offshore areas.
- North America > United States > New Mexico (0.21)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.17)
- Management > Energy Economics > Energy policy and regulation (0.40)
- Management > Strategic Planning and Management > Exploration and appraisal strategies (0.36)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Environment > Climate change (0.30)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Environment > Air emissions (0.30)
The Biden administration on 1 June suspended oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, unspooling a signature achievement of the Trump presidency and delivering on a promise by President Biden to protect the fragile Alaskan tundra from fossil fuel extraction. The decision sets up a process that could halt drilling in one of the largest tracts of untouched wilderness in the United States, home to migrating waterfowl, caribou, and polar bears. But it also lies over as much as 11 billion bbl of oil, and Democrats and Republicans have fought over whether to allow drilling there for more than 4 decades. A formal order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland paused the leases until her agency has completed an environmental analysis of their effect and a legal review of the Trump administration's decision to grant them. While the move follows President Biden's Inauguration Day executive order to halt new Arctic drilling, it also serves as a high-profile way for the president to solidify his environmental credentials after coming under fire from activists angered by his recent quiet support for some fossil fuel projects.
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas (1.00)
The Trump administration must start enforcing an Obama administration rule limiting methane leaks from oil and natural gas drilling on federal land, a court ruled. In the decision, Judge William Orrick of the District Court for the District of Northern California granted a preliminary injunction against the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), blocking a November action that tried to delay enforcement of the Obama-era rule for 1 year. "The BLM's reasoning behind the suspension rule is untethered to evidence contradicting the reasons for implementing the waste-prevention rule, and so plaintiffs are likely to prevail on the merits," Orrick, who was appointed to the bench by former President Obama, wrote in the ruling. "They have shown irreparable injury caused by the waste of publicly owned natural gas, increased air pollution, and associated health impacts and exacerbated climate impacts," he went on to say. The lawsuit was brought by Democratic states and environmental groups.
- Law (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
The Interior Department is pushing back against allegations it's not doing enough to protect offshore drilling safety. The recent charges in a report by the environmental group Oceana match up with those of Democrats in Congress who have been trying--with limited success--to spotlight what they consider to be poor performance at the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The Trump administration has said more offshore drilling is important for economic growth and energy security and is set to release the draft of its new 5-year drilling plan soon. Both the congressional Democrats and Oceana want to stop the expansion of offshore drilling. In its report, Oceana said the approximately 120 inspectors at BSEE aren't enough to conduct more than 20,000 inspections annually.
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.74)