If Donald Trump wins the upcoming US presidential elections, he would rescind many of President Joe Biden’s clean energy rules and speed approvals of power plants, the Republican’s presidential campaign said last week.
Speaking to the reporters in a call organised by the campaign, David Bernhardt, Trump’s former Interior Department secretary, said the former president “will immediately stop all Biden-Harris policies that distort energy markets, limit consumer choice and drive up the costs on consumers on day one”.
What are some of the key climate policies that Trump plans to reserve during his second term?
Power plant rule
In April this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency finalised regulations that would force coal plants and new natural gas-fired generators to either deploy technology to capture virtually all their emissions in the coming decade, or shut them down.
The Biden administration estimates that the rules would cut 88% of the carbon dioxide emissions from power plants between now and 2047.
Bernhardt told reporters that as president, Donald Trump would overturn the rules and “put coal country back to work so that all Americans have access to affordable energy”.
He also said Trump would implement rapid approvals for energy projects and “the construction of hundreds of new power plants”.
Automobile emissions rule
Transportation accounted for the largest portion (28%) of total US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2022, with cars and trucks making up the bulk of emissions. In March, President Biden imposed limits on pollution from automobile tailpipes, pushing car automakers to expand the production of electric and hybrid vehicles.
The final regulations were a watered-down version of the original proposal. However, Trump said they would lead to a “blood bath” in the US economy, “kill” the auto industry, and trigger an “assassination” of jobs, according to a report by The New York Times. He has vowed to reverse them if elected to a second term in the White House.
Inflation Reduction Act
Enacted in 2022, the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest investment in reducing carbon pollution in US history. It contains more than $340 billion in tax credits to help the US move towards clean energy such as solar and wind. For instance, the IRA offers incentives to companies to make electric vehicles.
Trump has repeatedly said he would repeal EV subsidies, calling them “one of the dumbest” decisions he has heard. It remains unclear which other provisions Trump might try to scrap. Any changes to the Act would require the approval of the US Congress.
Paris Agreement
During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, a 2015 treaty in which signatories agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming within relatively safe limits. He argued that the deal was unnecessary and put the US at a competitive disadvantage to China.
Biden returned the US to the Paris Agreement on his first day in office. Trump’s campaign has said he would again withdraw the country if elected.
(With inputs from Reuters)
