Trump to reopen waters for drilling, rolling back environmental protections

Just minutes after being sworn in, President Donald Trump signaled he's ready to sign a flurry of executive orders including on that will roll back environmental protectors and reopen the waters for drilling. 

"The President will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of climate extremism, streamlining permitting, and reviewing for rescission all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals," The White House said in an e-mail Monday. 

Trump rolls back environmental protections 

Trump signed an executive order reversing climate policies aimed at reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

He rolled back environmental protections, halted wind projects, scuttled the Biden administration’s targets that encouraged the switch to electric cars and abolished standards for companies to become more environmentally friendly.

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He previously pledged to increase production of U.S. fossil fuels, promising to "drill, drill, drill," when he gets into office on Day 1 and seeking to open the Arctic wilderness to oil drilling, which he claims would lower energy costs.

Trump signed an executive order halting offshore wind lease sales and pausing the issuance of approvals, permits and loans for onshore and offshore wind projects.

Trump’s order says the interior secretary will review federal wind leasing and permitting practices. The assessment will consider the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects, the economic costs associated with the intermittent generation of electricity and the effect of subsidies on the viability of the wind industry, the order states.

Trump wants to increase drilling for oil and gas and has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind.

He said the U.S. has "oil and gas at a level that nobody else has and we’re gonna take advantage of it. It’s really our greatest economic asset."

Trump has vowed to establish what he calls American "energy dominance" around the world as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s focus on climate change.

Biden banned new offshore oil and gas drilling before leaving office

The backstory:

Former President Joe Biden banned new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a last-minute effort to block possible action by the incoming Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.

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Biden's move sparked support, outrage 

The other side:

The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore drillers, called Biden’s decision "a strategic error, driven not by science or voter mandate, but by political motives.’'

"This move directly undermines American energy consumers and jeopardizes the vast benefits tied to a thriving domestic energy sector," said Erik Milito, the group’s president.

Environmental advocates hailed Biden’s action, saying new oil and gas drilling must be sharply curtailed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. 2024 was the hottest in recorded history.

"This is an epic ocean victory!" said Joseph Gordon, campaign director for the environmental group Oceana.

Gordon thanked Biden "for listening to the voices from coastal communities" that oppose drilling and "contributing to the bipartisan tradition of protecting our coasts."

The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story was sourced from statements made by President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, and various interest groups, including the National Ocean Industries Association and environmental advocacy groups like Oceana. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

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