Trump abandons U.S. global warming policies – “My action today is the latest in steps to grow American jobs”
By Dan Merica
29 March 2017 WASHNGTON (CNN) – President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday at the Environmental Protection Agency, which officials said looks to curb the federal government’s enforcement of climate regulations by putting American jobs above addressing climate change. The order represents a clear difference between how Trump and former President Barack Obama view the role the United States plays in combating climate change, and dramatically alters the government’s approach to rising sea levels and temperatures — two impacts of climate change. Trump said during the signing that the order will “eliminate federal overreach” and “start a new era of production and job creation.”
“My action today is latest in steps to grow American jobs,” Trump added, saying his order is “ending the theft of prosperity.” A White House official briefed on the plan said Monday the administration believes the government can both “serve the environment and increase energy independence at the same time” by urging the EPA for focus on what the administration believes is its core mission: Clean air and clean water. More important than regulating climate change, the official said, is protecting American jobs. […] “These actions are an assault on American values and they endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American,” Tom Steyer, the president of NexGen Climate, said in a statement. “Trump is deliberately destroying programs that create jobs and safeguards that protect our air and water, all for the sake of allowing corporate polluters to profit at our expense.” [more]
