President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday directing the Department of Justice to identify and challenge state and local climate-related laws that undermine US energy production and national security.
The directive, issued from the White House on Monday, outlines a plan to “unleash American energy” by removing what it calls “illegitimate impediments” to the development of domestic energy resources, including oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, nuclear energy, and critical minerals.
Trump said regulations imposed by certain states are harming energy producers and violating constitutional principles by restricting interstate commerce and imposing retroactive penalties.
“These State laws and policies try to dictate interstate and international disputes over air, water, and natural resources; unduly discriminate against out-of-State businesses; contravene the equality of States; and retroactively impose arbitrary and excessive fines without legitimate justification,” the order says. “These State laws and policies are fundamentally irreconcilable with my Administration’s objective to unleash American energy. They should not stand.”
Under the executive order, the Attorney General is instructed to identify state and local laws that may be unconstitutional, preempted by federal law, or otherwise deemed unenforceable. These include laws and lawsuits related to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental justice initiatives, ESG (environmental, social, governance) measures, and carbon penalties.
“The Attorney General shall prioritize the identification of any such State laws purporting to address ‘climate change’ or involving ‘environmental, social, and governance’ initiatives, ‘environmental justice,’ carbon or ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes,” the order says.
Within 60 days, the Attorney General must report to the President with findings and recommendations, including potential legislative or additional executive action.
States like New York, California, and Vermont are specifically cited in the order as examples of jurisdictions enacting what the administration calls “ideologically motivated” climate laws. Some of these laws impose retroactive penalties or create regulatory hurdles for out-of-state energy companies — measures the Trump administration views as unconstitutional interference with interstate and federal energy policy.
The order may shield Alaska-based or Alaska-bound energy companies and projects from climate-related lawsuits filed in other states, helping stabilize investment confidence in large-scale resource projects.
However, the order is also likely to face legal challenges and opposition from environmental groups, climate-focused states, and some members of Congress. Its long-term effect will depend on how aggressively the Justice Department pursues enforcement and how courts interpret the balance of federal versus state authority over environmental and energy regulations.
The executive order is part of a broader Trump administration push to reverse climate policies enacted at the state and federal level over the past decade. It aligns with a campaign promise to restore American energy independence and roll back what Trump has repeatedly described as “radical” environmental regulations.
Hopefully this puts an end to Rep Holland’s insane Renewable Standard Portfolio (RPS) Bill HB153. Holland is a shill for special interests like Chris Rose and REAP and they want to increase the cost of reliable power by 50% to force unrealizable wind and solar.
Conservatives and Republicans need to stop HB153!
Oh, don’t worry – the state RINO & DEM legislature will thwart any energy production in Alaska by changing the corporate oil taxes making AK an unstable place to do business. They mean to impoverish the people and increase dependence on government. It’s what they know. And it’s easier to do than the directives of the people.
Exactly. The goal is to shut down fishing, mining, dismantle the pipeline, and halt any kind of LNG projects. They utilize the indoctrinated to push the climate change agenda to have 100% control of the population.
But what about THE CHILDREN? Cue the crying gretas.
Top down utilization of “lawfare.”
Dang, I’m sure people in these comments will be up in arms. Talk about Federal over reach, am I right?!?! Not to mention the Party of “States Rights” sure doesn’t want to respect States laws…
Just as the early days following Darwin’s theory led to the political justification of widespread slavery and eugenics, the early days of climate “science” have led to the political justification of all kinds of craziness lining the pockets of both true believers and charlatans. Let’s hope this begins a new era of “critical climate theory,” but based on real science.
Perhaps this will halt the mindless 300-acre solar farm the Green New Deal Biden administration has slated for Nikiski?
That was shutdown when President Trump announced the scaling back of the incorrectly named Inflation Reduction Act that was the green new deal by a different title. Turns out without heavy government subsidies solar and wind along with other “renewable energy” sources aren’t economically feasible.
I would counter that the biggest impediment to domestic energy production is that oil is down over 19% in the past 5 days. Not exactly “drill baby drill” stimulus if you are running a oil company. What good is 2$ gasoline if you got laid off from that roustabout gig.
Gold keeps going up and those mining companies are going to be needing drillers. They know how to work, they will be fine.
So much for States rights I guess.
The States are United States, right? Sometimes when a gaggle of idiots make decisions that do not align with the overarching National security plans which energy is a key component, common sense must step in and prevail. Sadly, those who agree with ESG driven agendas love it when Big Brother steps in forcing that agenda, but cry like spoiled children when a new administration “Big Brother” acts against these agendas.
Bingo!
“opposition from environmental groups, climate-focused states, and some members of Congress.”
The advocates for environmentally and economically unsustainable mandates and subsidies for corrupt oligarchs to exfiltrate wealth and impoverish the country are not environmental. It is simply a modern version of extortion and concentration of power and wealth.
Having created a generationally ignorant and uneducated public, accustomed to being exploited and defrauded, has made it easier for using blatant myths and tall tales to scare the public into any nonsensical narrative to accept being controlled by an unethical and inbred class dissasociated from reality.
The Dunleavy regime is classic neo-con, simply corrupt liberals pretending to be “conservative”. No one asks are these administrators logical? Are they competent? Are they ethical? None of the above. They just represent a subset of the oligarchs and special interests fighting for dominance of the public funds trough.
The very idea of “preserving” state forests in Alaska for carbon offsets is so stupid as to cause hernias from laughing. Wildfire is essential for our ecology and will undo the mythical benefits of wasting our resources on this nonesense.
Outside people control Alaska and we, our children and grandchildren must suffer the effects of their idiocy. The descendants of the same outsiders who ridiculed and shamed our grandparents for being primitive, although thriving for thousands of years here, are already failing after barely 125 hundred years, just a historical footnote.