US president-elect Donald Trump made two picks for key posts in his administration last week that signal he’s serious about rolling back environmental regulations and speeding up permitting for oil and gas as well as mining projects – a policy that could put pressure on Canada to do the same.
Trump, who has repeatedly promised the US will “drill baby, drill” for fossil fuels, named Lee Zeldin, a former congressman from New York, as his pick on Nov. 11 to head up the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin has promised to roll back “left-wing” regulations while also protecting the environment. He’s endorsed Trump’s call to use the EPA to pursue US “energy dominance” and economic growth.
For Interior Secretary, a post that oversees the management and conservation of federal lands in the US, Trump announced Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota – the third largest oil producing state in the country – as his choice. Burgum will also lead a newly created National Energy Council, which will focus on increasing US energy supplies by better coordinating federal agencies and adding capacity to the electricity grid.
Deregulation and speeding up permitting were key policies for Trump during his first term, and Frank Mariage, a mining-focused partner at law firm Fasken, says Trump’s picks show he considers that unfinished business.
Trump 2.0
“When Trump 1.0 came in, he put in through executive orders a number of guidelines to start streamlining the permitting process. Most of those were repealed when Biden came in,” Mariage says.
“So Trump is going to be looking to obviously put those back into force, and these nominations are a clear signal that that’s where they’re headed.”
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