US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to roll back the climate policies of the previous administration and revive the country's coal industry.
The Energy Independence Executive order, which rolls back Obama-era rules and policies aimed at curbing climate change, directs regulatory agencies to review the existing actions that affect US energy production.
Trump’s order also directs the Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Secretary of the Interior to review, or revise if necessary regulations that place costly burdens on coal-fired electric utilities, coal miners, and oil and gas producers.
Additionally, the new order also aims to revive the coal industry by calling for the removal of the ban on federal leasing for coal production as well as removing “job-killing” restrictions on the production of oil, natural gas, clean coal and shale energy.
Trump also seeks to suspend, revise or rescind those that “unduly burden the development of domestic energy resources beyond the degree necessary to protect the public interest or otherwise comply with the law”.
It also directs the Attorney General to seek appropriate relief from the courts over pending litigation related to the Clean Power Plan as well as lifts the ban on federal leasing for coal production.
Trump said: “My administration is putting an end to the war on coal. We’re going to have clean coal — really clean coal.
“With today’s executive action, I am taking historic steps to lift the restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion and to cancel job-killing regulations.
“First, today’s energy independence action calls for an immediate re-evaluation of the so-called Clean Power Plan.”
However, the move has been condemned by environmental campaigners who claim that the order would hinder the climate targets set in the Paris Agreement.
Image: US President Donald Trump. Photo: courtesy of President Donald J. Trump (from the White House) (direct link)/Wikipedia.