Donald Trump will sign two new executive orders on the environment this week as he comes to the end of his first 100 days in office.
The new orders are expected to make it easier for the US to develop energy both off and onshore.
“This builds on previous executive actions that have cleared the way for job-creating pipelines, innovations in energy production, and reduced unnecessary burden on energy producers,”, said the White House official.
The new measures are part of a series of changes the US President has made backtrack climate change regulations made by Barack Obama. For example last month, Trump signed an order calling for a review of the previous President’s Clean Power Plan, whilst also reversing a ban on coal leasing on federal lands.
The previous US President also banned new drilling in federal waters in parts of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Whilst Trump is hoping to “amend” this, environmental groups have said this will require a drawn out court challenge.
Ryan Zinke, the Interior Secretary, said in his January confirmation hearing that whilst it might be possible for Trump to “amend” Obama’s monument designations, any move to rescind a designation would be instantly challenged.
News has also emerged that Trump will shut down The Environmental Protection Agency’s Open Data Web service. This government service stores information on climate change, life cycle assessment, health impact analysis and environmental justice but will soon have its funding ended and no longer be in operation.
The change has been described as fatal by groups as it means that citizens will no longer be able to access information on their environment and climate, stopping them from looking at potentially fatal changes to their area.
Trump’s congress has not decided whether to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement. They are expected to make a decision by next month.