WSJ: Trump seeks to repeal greenhouse gas rules adopted during the Obama era

The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to review the findings of a scientific assessment conducted during the presidency of former US leader Barack Obama regarding the harm that greenhouse gases pose to public health and welfare.

The Daily Baku reports that this was stated by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.

According to the report, the issue concerns a 2009 determination by the US Environmental Protection Agency which concluded that six types of greenhouse gases pose a major threat to the population. This determination has served as the legal foundation for most climate regulations. Those rules, in line with the Clean Air Act, limited permissible emission levels from power plants and tightened fuel efficiency standards for vehicles.

The newspaper writes that the Trump administration plans this week to publish an order repealing regulatory requirements related to the measurement, reporting, certification, and compliance of federal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles, as well as to review relevant programs, credit provisions, and obligations across entire sectors.

According to WSJ sources, the new rules will not affect the regulation of emissions from power plants, oil and gas facilities, and other stationary sources. However, it is noted that the anticipated changes could affect these facilities in the future.

Under the terms of the agreement concluded in 2015, more than 190 participants committed to voluntarily reducing carbon dioxide emissions over the coming decades. The goal was to keep the increase in the average annual global temperature within 1.5–2 degrees Celsius compared to pre industrial levels.