Trump administration seeks delay in ruling on climate plan

Trump rolled back Obama administration regulations considered detrimental to the industry. They also paved the way for agriculture to be a major contributor to reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and moved the needle toward compensating producers for environmental services, Johnson noted.

Not all coal-producing regions will see an increase. Western and Appalachian coal are still forecast to decline.

The executive order signed by US President Donald Trump to radically alter climate change policies could sound the “death knell” to the historic Paris Agreement but though it can delay America’s transition to clean energy, it cannot stop it, green bodies today said.

“Basically, you know what this says?”

Days before Trump took charge, the Obama administration sent $500 million to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which the current President has refused to contribute to. Large energy infrastructure decisions like whether to build new generating plants are made based on often decades-long financial projections, and Trump’s pro-carbon policies could be undone by the next president in as short as four years.In recent years, those investment decisions have focused more on natural gas and renewable energy than the more expensive and dirtier coal. Energy companies have converted coal-fired power plants so they’ll burn natural gas instead.

However, after winning the election Trump told The New York Times he has an “open mind” about the Paris agreement and said he believes clean air and “crystal clear water” are important.

The Energy Independence Executive Order suspends more than half a dozen measures enacted by his predecessor, and boosts fossil fuels, said a BBC report.

At a critical time in worldwide climate policy, the European Union and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy, Cañete said ahead of his visit to Beijing on March 28.

Trump’s executive action lifts restrictions on domestic coal and onshore oil and gas production, with key provisions taking effect immediately.

But even without the Obama-era regulations in place, the trend away from coal is likely to continue.

“President Trump’s decisive action lets everyone know this unlawful, job-killing regulation will find no support in his administration”, said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

There were 98,505 US coal-mining jobs in 2015, versus 127,745 in 2008, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, but most of those job losses are due to technology and cheaper and cleaner energy sources like natural gas and renewables, not regulation. The relatively new legislation has been repeatedly challenged by states which profit from the use of fossil fuels since it was signed into law in August 2015. Those producers use mechanized mining practices that have reduced the industry’s employment from 250,000 to 75,000 in 40 years.