PA Environment Digest

Share this:

New Federal Administration Issues Executive Order Declaring A National Energy Emergency; Order Repealing Other Energy, Climate Orders; Regulatory Freeze

On January 20, the new federal administration issued an executive order declaring a national energy emergency saying "The energy and critical minerals (“energy”) identification, leasing, development, production, transportation, refining, and generation capacity of the United States are all far too inadequate to meet our Nation’s needs."

“We need a reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy to drive our Nation’s manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and defense industries, and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness.”

“In an effort to harm the American people, hostile state and non-state foreign actors have targeted our domestic energy infrastructure, weaponized our reliance on foreign energy, and abused their ability to cause dramatic swings within international commodity markets.”

“The integrity and expansion of our Nation’s energy infrastructure —- from coast to coast -— is an immediate and pressing priority for the protection of the United States’ national and economic security.”

“These numerous problems are most pronounced in our Nation’s Northeast (emphasis added) and West Coast, where dangerous State and local policies jeopardize our Nation’s core national defense and security needs, and devastate the prosperity of not only local residents but the entire United States population.”

“The United States’ insufficient energy production, transportation, refining, and generation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to our Nation’s economy, national security, and foreign policy.”

The order directs

-- “Executive departments and agencies (“agencies”) shall identify and exercise any lawful emergency authorities available to them, as well as all other lawful authorities they may possess, to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources, including, but not limited to, on Federal lands.”

-- “Shall consider issuing emergency fuel waivers to allow the year-round sale of E15 gasoline to meet any projected temporary shortfalls in the supply of gasoline across the Nation.”

-- “Agencies shall identify and use all relevant lawful emergency and other authorities available to them to expedite the completion of all authorized and appropriated infrastructure, energy, environmental, and natural resources projects that are within the identified authority of each of the Secretaries to perform or to advance.”

-- “Shall identify and use all lawful emergency or other authorities available to them to facilitate the supply, refining, and transportation of energy in and through the West Coast of the United States, Northeast of the United States, (emphasis added) and Alaska.”

-- Within 30 days: “identify planned or potential actions to facilitate the Nation’s energy supply that may be subject to emergency treatment pursuant to the regulations and nationwide permits promulgated by the Corps, or jointly by the Corps and EPA,”

-- Within 30 days: identify planned or potential actions to facilitate the Nation’s energy supply that may be subject to regulation under the federal Endangered Species Act. Agencies are directed to use, to the maximum extent permissible under applicable law, the ESA regulation on consultations in emergencies, to facilitate the Nation’s energy supply.

Click Here for the entire executive order.

Repeal Of Other Executive Orders

On January 20, the new federal administration issued an executive order repealing other executive orders on climate, clean energy, electric vehicle and on other issues by the Biden Administration.

The order includes a 90 pause and evaluation of funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act [water infrastructure, mine reclamation funding] and Inflation Reduction Act [conventional oil and gas well plugging, $396 million in RISE PA decarbonization funding].

Click Here for the entire executive order.

Regulatory Freeze

On January 20, the new federal administration issued an executive order instituting a regulatory freeze pending a review of all regulations.

Click Here for a copy of the executive order.

Establishing DOGE

On January 20, the new federal administration issued an executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency.

Click Here for a copy of the executive order.

(Logo from new White House website.)

Related Articles - Energy Emergency, Freezes

-- New Federal Administration Issues Executive Order Declaring A National Energy Emergency; Order Repealing Other Energy, Climate Orders; Regulatory Freeze [PaEN]

NewsClips - Energy Emergency, Freezes

-- Williamsport Sun: Region’s Lawmakers Are Optimistic About The Future Of Energy Policy