Trump administration set to unleash energy companies from regulatory shackles
The US administration announced that President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday that will free energy companies from what it deems excessive environmental regulations, according to Reuters.
A White House official said the targeted edicts were “unnecessary regulatory obstacles that restrict the responsible use of domestic energy resources”.
Oil and gas companies with offshore drilling interests will be among the beneficiaries of the order, which will be signed at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington DC.
The aim, according to EPA head Scott Pruitt, would be to undo and reverse many of the actions of the previous administration.
In one of his final actions, in December 2016, former President Barack Obama declared 98% of US Arctic waters (115m acres) and 3.8m acres of Atlantic coastal waters off limits to oil and gas leasing.
