Sen. Markey: Trump Executive Order Is Declaration of War on Climate Action, Public Health and Clean Energy

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The office of Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., issued the following news release:

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Chair of the Senate Climate Clearinghouse, released the following statement today after the media reports that President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order this week to stop the Clean Power plan and climate performance standards for new power plants, to drop the consideration of climate change and the social cost of carbon when evaluating government actions, and to resume leasing federal coal at low prices to the coal industry. Senator Markey is introducing legislation today and in the coming weeks to push back on these Trump administration attacks.

"President Trump didn't issue an executive order today, he issued a declaration of war on American leadership on climate change and our clean energy future," said Senator Markey. "After announcing an Office of American Innovation, this executive order is all about ensuring American Energy Stagnation. This executive order is one massive giveaway to big oil and coal corporations at the expense of taxpayers and decades of progress on climate change, clean energy and public health protections.

"After releasing a budget that ends federal research and development funding for 21st century innovative energy technologies, President Trump now wants to send us back to the 19th century of energy policy, energy technology, and science. The Trump administration says 'yes' to sending the dirtiest Canadian oil to Latin America and China after it crosses the American Plains, but 'no' to providing American leadership as China and Latin America make historic commitments to the global agreement on climate change.

"President Trump's previous executive order that weakens fuel economy emissions standards is really where the rubber hits the road when it comes to American energy independence. We still import three million barrels of oil per day from OPEC nations. Keeping strong fuel economy standards in place is the best way to increase American energy security and decrease carbon pollution.

"That is why I will be introducing legislation that promotes energy security by keeping Keystone oil here in America for our consumers, that protects American taxpayers and our environment by ensuring that dirty tar sands oil doesn't get a 'get out of Canada tax free card,' and that reforms the federal coal leasing program to protect America's climate change goals. In the coming weeks, I also will be introducing legislation that puts America on a path towards 100 percent clean and renewable energy and that unleashes the potential of offshore wind."

Today, Senator Markey is introducing the following legislation:

The COAL Reform Act would implement the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Interior Department Inspector General to protect taxpayers and our climate. The actions the Obama administration had been taking to reform the federal coal program, that the Trump Administration is undoing in its executive order, were consistent with Senator Markey's legislation.

A copy of the legislation can be found HERE (https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-03-27-MineralLeasingAct-Markey.pdf).

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