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Trump vows to declare a national energy emergency as soon as he takes office – here’s how he might do it


President-elect Donald Trump vowed to declare a national energy emergency as soon as he takes office on Monday, months after promising voters that he would halve electricity and gasoline prices in the first year of his administration.

“To achieve this rapid reduction in energy costs, I will declare a national emergency, allowing us to dramatically increase energy production, production, and supply,” Trump said. told supporters at a rally Last August in Potterville, Michigan. “From day one, I will approve new drilling, new pipelines, new refineries, new power plants, new reactors and we will cut through the red tape.”

The newly elected President recently reiterated his intention on 22 December “declare a national energy emergencyOn the first day of his administration. He vowed to issue a series of executive orders to reverse the Biden administration’s policies on natural gas exports, drilling and emissions standards.

Trump plans to establish a National Energy Council Under the leadership of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, his choice to lead the Department of the Interior. Burgum said during a Senate hearing on his nomination this week that he expects the council to be established through an executive order.

It is unclear whether the emergency declaration will be largely symbolic or invoke sweeping powers that go beyond the executive orders on energy that Trump is widely expected to issue on Monday. The president-elect’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

“My guess is this would be a rhetorical declaration of an energy emergency,” said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry lobby group. “When you add the executive orders together, that’s the answer to what to do about the energy emergency.”

There are several emergency laws Trump could implement that are energy-related, said Glenn Schwartz, director of energy policy at the consulting firm Rapidan Energy. Emergencies are often loosely defined under federal law, Schwartz said, giving the president wide discretion to use them appropriately.

And Trump will face less of a backlash from the courts because they are reluctant to challenge presidential decisions related to national security, Schwartz said.

“You’ll end up saying that even if Trump expands his emergency powers in an unprecedented manner, it’s not clear that the courts will step in to block any of these resulting actions,” the analyst said.

potential emergency officer

There is a clear precedent for Trump to invoke emergency authority to boost power generation and expand the nation’s fuel supply, Schwartz told clients in a research report published last Thursday. Officials using the powers would waive some environmental and pollution rules related to energy.

The analyst said Trump could issue fuel exemptions under the Clean Air Act to allow gasoline on the market that would otherwise violate federal air quality standards. Presidents often use such waivers whenever they need to increase the nation’s gasoline supply and keep prices under control, he said.

Trump can also invoke this federal power act Ordering power plants to run at maximum capacity and not comply with pollution limits, Schwartz said. The Secretary of Energy can invoke this act during wartime or when a sudden increase in demand or shortage of electricity creates an emergency.

Schwartz said this provision has rarely been used since World War II and has mostly been reserved for situations where extreme weather has affected power plants.

PJM Interconnection, the largest grid operator in the US, has warned power shortage Because coal plants are retired faster than new capacity can be brought online. PJM operates the grid in all or parts of 13 states in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South.

The situation may become more dire as the demand for electricity increases significantly as the tech sector builds energy-hungry data centers to support artificial intelligence applications.

The Trump administration previously considered invoking the act in 2018 to order utilities to buy two years of power from coal and nuclear plants that were at risk of closing. The administration at that time eventually abandoned the idea after facing pressure from the industry.

Trump can also choose this option comprehensive law Schwartz said it allows the president to suspend pollution laws for industrial facilities, power plants, oil refineries, steel mills, chemical plants and other industrial facilities in emergency situations.

Schwartz said there is little support under federal law for the president to compel new production. The analyst said Trump could direct federal agencies to conduct rapid environmental reviews on energy projects they support, such as pipelines, but the president could use emergency authorities to sidestep key environmental policies such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Cannot use.

Expected Executive Order

Oil industry lobbyists at the American Petroleum Institute are expecting Trump to issue a series of energy-related orders by Monday.

It is expected that the administration may issue an order to lift the ban on the work of the Biden team. new liquefied natural gas exports Facilities, Somers said. The president-elect will also likely attempt to reverse President Biden’s recent decision to ban drilling in 625 million acres of federal waters. Trump’s authority to do so has been disputed and such an order would likely end up in court.

“We think they have the ability to overturn this and we will defend it in court,” Somers said.

Somers said the industry is hoping the president will also direct the Interior Department to increase oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The Biden administration had issued Lowest lease in history Under a program that will run until 2029.

These decisions are not expected to have any immediate impact on production. America has been the world’s Largest producer of oil for six yearsOvertook Saudi Arabia and Russia. CEO of exxon And beam It has made clear that production decisions are based on market conditions, not in response to who is in the White House.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink,” Schwartz said. “He can give them all the resources they need to be able to drill, but I haven’t seen anything to suggest he can force them to get it out of the ground.”

It is expected that Trump will withdraw America from the Paris Climate Agreement. Executive orders targeting tailpipe emissions and fuel economy standards for cars are also expected.

Still, only so much can be done through executive orders, Somers said, and directives often have to go through a rulemaking process that takes time. The oil industry is more focused on pushing for more sustainable policy changes in the Republican-controlled Congress, he said.

“Other than directing federal agencies to deliver on their promise of energy dominance, there’s not much they’ll be able to do on day one,” Somers said.



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