US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to prevent the enforcement of state laws that seek to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change.
The directive targets policies designed to limit carbon emissions and enhance environmental protection, reported Reuters.
This move is part of a wider initiative by the Trump administration to increase domestic energy production.
The order said: “Many states have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, burdensome and ideologically motivated ‘climate change’ or energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security.”
The order also challenges the climate policies of states, mostly led by Democratic governors, which focus on tackling global warming.
This new executive order instructs the US Attorney General to pinpoint and contest state laws linked to climate change, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices, environmental justice, and carbon emissions.
Specific attention is given to regulations in states such as New York, Vermont, and California.
Trump drew attention to state laws that impose fines on fossil fuel companies for their role in climate change, such as those in New York, and California’s cap-and-trade system.
The order also aims to address legal actions by states seeking accountability from energy companies for their contribution to global warming.
The US Climate Alliance, a group of 24 governors committed to addressing climate issues, reaffirmed their position.
The alliance’s co-chairs Kathy Hochul and Michelle Lujan Grisham, who are governors of New York and New Mexico, respectively, stated that their states would not allow their authority to be undermined.
They made it clear that the executive action would not deter their climate-related efforts.
However, the American Petroleum Institute (API), a major trade association for the oil and gas industry, expressed support for the executive action.
API senior vice-president Ryan Meyers was quoted by the news agency as saying: “We welcome President Trump’s action to hold states like New York and California accountable for pursuing unconstitutional efforts that illegally penalise US oil and natural gas producers for delivering the energy American consumers rely on every day.”
