As President Biden kicks off his first term, he’s made it clear that combatting climate change and driving environmental and energy policy in a new direction will be a focal point of his administration. Not surprisingly, his administration appears poised to make significant changes to current environmental and energy policy, rules, and regulations.
President Biden set forth robust environmental and climate change policy plans as a candidate and wasted no time acting on those proposals. On his first day in office, President Biden signed executive orders recommitting the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement and blocking the Keystone XL pipeline—delivering on two major campaign promises. Additionally, his administration is likely to halt and rescind the offshore drilling plan signed by President Trump in 2018 (currently hung up in federal court), cut fossil fuel subsidies, and invest heavily in renewable energy like solar, wind, and hydropower. Accelerating the electrification of automobiles and appliances is a major priority as well.
What’s more, the Biden Administration has made public its intention to undo numerous environmental and energy regulations implemented under the Trump Administration. However, unwinding these rules and regulations takes significant time and will invariably be challenged in federal court. Indeed, given that the makeup of the federal judiciary was dramatically altered after four years of Trump appointments, rescinding and changing environmental and energy regulations implemented under the Trump Administration will certainly be cumbersome.
Against this backdrop, businesses must understand and keep apprised of the evolving environmental and energy policies, rules, and regulations to ensure proper planning and compliance.
Contact Flynn Giudici to discuss your environmental and energy matters.