Trump Says Will Axe Clean Energy Rules

Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder

WASHINGTON, DC (REUTERS) – Donald Trump would rescind many of President Joe Biden’s clean energy rules while also speeding approvals of power plants to meet the nation’s rising electricity demands, the Republican’s presidential campaign said.

Trump would axe clean energy regulations of Biden and his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, on both power plants and on emissions from vehicles. Those rules are aimed at slashing carbon emissions from the power industry while also pushing the auto industry to transition to electric cars to cut tailpipe pollution.

David Bernhardt, Trump’s former Interior Department secretary,

said he would also implement rapid approvals for energy projects and “greenlight the construction of hundreds of new power plants,” without detailing how those plants would be fueled.

He added that Trump would remove the US from the Paris agreement on fighting climate change as he did during his 2017-2021 term in the White House.

The policy proposals were in line with past statements and hewed closely to Trump’s efforts during his presidency to encourage industrial and fossil fuel projects and cut regulations.

Congress passed in 2022 Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which contains hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for clean energy such as wind, solar, hydrogen, geothermal projects.

No Republicans voted for the IRA, and some in the party have introduced legislation to repeal parts of the bill.

Bernhardt also said that Trump “will put coal country back to work so that all Americans have access to affordable energy,” without elaborating on how those workers would be put to work.

Despite Trump’s promises to revive the coal industry during his administration, employment in the industry fell as power generators turned to plentiful natural gas and renewable energy.