Power move: Trump seizes wartime powers in battle for more fossil fuels

President Donald Trump’s declaration of an energy emergency opens the door to wield sweeping Cold War-era powers and little-known authorities to fast-track pipelines, expand power grids and save struggling coal plants.

By invoking the country’s national and economic security, the plan lays the foundation for energy projects to move forward with unprecedented speed — even if it involves encroaching on habitat for endangered species or tapping powers usually reserved for wartime.

The president has directed federal agencies to scour statutes and regulations to find obscure rules allowing him to facilitate production of more oil, natural gas and electricity, as well as approve construction of the pipelines and power lines needed to move it.

The declaration, which Trump signed after taking office Monday, sets the stage for him to push national security boundaries to achieve his energy priorities, potentially going even further than former President Joe Biden did in his own quest to fight climate change.

“This is power politics in an era of power — not rules,” said Kevin Book, managing director of the Washington consulting firm ClearView Energy Partners LLC.

Critics say the idea of an energy emergency flies in the face of soaring oil and gas production. The U.S. has solidified its position as the world’s top crude producer in recent years, with record output far surpassing any other nation.

One of the biggest changes Trump is setting in motion is speeding up project reviews using emergency consultations under the Endangered Species Act. Usually reserved for natural disasters such as forest fires and hurricanes, the process allows quicker approvals of projects that may harm — but not completely jeopardize — at-risk wildlife.

Trump has also ordered quarterly meetings of a committee of cabinet-level officials that’s authorized to green-light ventures even when the survival of a species is at stake. The panel — known as the “God Squad” — has met only a handful of times over the past four decades.

“They are definitely reaching deep to utilize pretty specific exceptions,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This executive order is a death warrant for polar bears, lesser prairie chickens, whooping cranes and so many more species on the brink of extinction.”

Industry leaders have long complained that conservationists have weaponized the Endangered Species Act to challenge plans to expand oil drilling, build power plants and develop mines.

During Trump’s first term, efforts to protect the greater sage-grouse — whose habitat overlaps with prime oil hotspots — stalled plans to expand drilling in the western U.S.

Supporters of Trump’s latest move argue it will shift the balance, hastening approvals while still ensuring species are protected.

“We have a permitting process that is taking too long and has been abused,” said Andrew Black, president of the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association.

White House officials said Trump would take a balanced approach.

“Just as he did in his first term, President Trump will advance conservatism and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for Americans across the country by unleashing our energy — which is much cleaner than oil and gas in foreign countries — and lowering prices,” said Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary.

— Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter / Bloomberg News

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/pkZiIqJ