President Donald Trump is requiring environmental and energy agencies to phase out a range of environmental safeguards in an executive order aimed at deregulating energy production. Agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, among others, must change their regulations so that laws governing issues such as energy appliance standards, mining and offshore drilling become obsolete by October 2026. “Our vast regulatory structure often serves to constrict ordered liberty, not promote it,” the executive order reads. “By rescinding outdated regulations that serve as a drag on progress, we can stimulate innovation and deliver prosperity to everyday Americans.” Agencies may seek extensions if they find them necessary. The head of watchdog group Public Citizen’s Climate Program, David Arkush, called Trump’s deregulatory order “dumb and cruel,” and indicated that the group plans to challenge the order in court. Ari Peskoe, director of Harvard Law School’s Electricity Law Initiative told Utility Dive that the executive order “reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how agencies work” and is “impossible to implement, blatantly illegal, creates massive amounts of unnecessary work, and just makes no sense.” Signed late Wednesday, the order follows Trump’s use of emergency authority to boost the struggling coal industry.
