Trump’s border wall is at a standstill, his infrastructure plan never got off the ground, and many other policy initiatives are in disarray. But one area where the Trump administration has been ruthlessly effective has been in promoting the interests of the energy industry. His federal agencies have succeeded in gutting a long list of environmental regulations affecting drilling and mining companies. Two-years in and the regulatory climate for oil, gas and coal companies is a lot friendlier than it used to be. The New York Times did a lengthy investigation looking at the on-the-ground effects of the Trump environmental rollback bonanza. The EPA and the Department of Interior are the two main agencies responsible for the dramatic loosening of environmental regulations. “Together their rule changes have touched nearly every aspect of environmental protection, including air pollution caused by power plants and the oil and gas industry, water pollution […]

Posted in: USA