Business/economics

Trump’s EPA Hit With Lawsuit Over Suspension of Oil- and Gas-Drilling Rules

A group of conservation organizations sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 5 June, saying the agency unlawfully suspended Obama-era rules to cut methane pollution.

A group of conservation organizations sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 5 June, saying the agency unlawfully suspended Obama-era rules to cut methane pollution.

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President Donald Trump, left, listens to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt after announcing his decision that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, in the Rose Garden of the White House on 1 June. Credit: Kevin Lamarque, Reuters.

The lawsuit is another sign that environmentalists intend to use the courts to block President Donald Trump’s effort to roll back energy regulations and climate change initiatives pushed by his predecessor.

Environmental groups have already sued the president over his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and for seeking to overturn President Barack Obama’s ban on offshore drilling in the Arctic. Some nonprofits, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, have also sued over Trump’s executive order requiring federal agencies to repeal two regulations for every new one they propose.

Six conservation groups on 5 June filed suit after the EPA suspended implementation of rules meant to prevent methane leaks from oil and gas operations. They said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a 90-day stay without giving the public advance notice or the opportunity to comment, as required by law.

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