Trump Targets Obama's Signature Environmental Rule, the Clean Power Plan

The first environmental regulation to be rescinded under President Trump was the Stream Protection Rule. It will not be the last. The president has his eyes on a rule that limits greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.

2 minute read

February 23, 2017, 9:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


Trump

Ivan Cholakov / Shutterstock

Unlike the Stream Protection Rule (which regulates the dumping of coal mining debris into bodies of water), which was rescinded by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 16, Trump is planning to use executive orders to revoke Obama's signature Clean Power Plan and environmental rules regulating water pollution, "according to individuals briefed on the measures," report Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson for The Washington Post.

While both directives will take time to implement, they will send an unmistakable signal that the new administration is determined to promote fossil-fuel production and economic activity even when those activities collide with some environmental safeguards. Individuals familiar with the proposals asked for anonymity to describe them in advance of their announcement, which could come as soon as this week.

In fact, Trump has already virtually rolled back the Clean Power Plan by removing it and all references to climate change from the While House website. Next step: erase it from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.

The plan was put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court a year ago after lawyers for 26 states, including Oklahoma's then attorney general, Scott Pruitt, sued the EPA. Pruitt who was confirmed on Feb. 17 to head the EPA.

The executive order will be titled along the lines of promoting energy independence, according to Eilperin and Mufson, presumably because it is meant to make burning coal easier. However, coal has been in decline primarily due to market forces, not environmental regulations.

The order will also instruct the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management to lift a moratorium on federal coal leasing imposed by President Obama last year during his State of the Union speech, add Eilperin and Mufson.

A second order will instruct the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to revamp a 2015 rule, known as the Waters of the United States rule, that applies to 60 percent of the water bodies in the country. 

In a piece last month in The Washington Post, Darryl Fears reports that the Obama Administration filed a brief in its defense as the rule has been on hold after 13 states, including Scott Pruitt on behalf of Oklahoma, sued the EPA.

Per the EPA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Cincinnati, Ohio) stayed the Clean Water Rule in October 2015.

Anticipating that the new administration would not support the rule, Fears writes that according to Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General John Cruden, in order to undo the rule, "the Trump administration would have to take the same arduous path that the EPA and Army Corps took to create it."

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 in The Washington Post

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.