German chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing to spring an ambush on President Trump at this year’s G-20 summit in July. And Trump’s response will determine whether his presidency plays out like George W. Bush’s second term or puts America’s energy exceptionalism at the service of reviving American greatness. –Rupert Darwall, National Review Online, 22 February 2017
Some commentators expressed hope that Donald Trump would become more “presidential” when he entered office. They might have also hoped former Oklahoma attorney general and climate change sceptic Scott Pruitt would adopt green gloves when he became the Environmental Protection Agency director. During his first speech at the helm of the EPA, Mr Pruitt did not mention climate change or any recent negative impact on the environment. Instead, he talked about the founding fathers who discussed moving the capital city away from New York to the shores of the Potomac despite differing views, and applied this metaphor to how he would address “our environment and natural resources”. His only reference of the “toxic environment” was related to politics, and how it damaged compromise. –Rachael Revesz, The Independent, 22 February 2017
In his first speech as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt stressed a dramatic change of priorities at the agency, stating the importance of the agency’s communication and relationship with businesses but giving few details about policy changes. –Amy Harder, The Wall Street Journal, 22 February 2017
Don’t look now, but the United States is ready to once again pass a major oil supply milestone. After seeing output dip from a June 2015 high of more than 9.6 million barrels per day (bpd) down below 8.5 million bpd in October 2016, American oil production is now knocking at the door of the 9 million bpd range, as the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports we produced 8.977 million bpd this past week. According to the latest data, it only has to rise 23,000 bpd before the U.S. is once again pumping more than 9 million bpd. If OPEC and the rest of the world’s petrostates continue to constrain their own supplies in order to inflate prices, we can expect our own output to rise well past that 9 million mark. Welcome to the shale revolution, 2.0. —The American Interest, 22 February 2017
The U.S. Senate passed legislation recently cutting funding for NASA’s global warming research. The House is expected to pass the bill, and President Trump will likely sign it. Supporters say it “re-balances” NASA’s budget back toward space exploration and away from global warming and earth science research. Republicans plan to end the more than $2 billion NASA spends on its Earth Science Mission Directorate. –Andrew Follett, The Daily Caller, 20 February 2017
Theresa May must not use Donald Trump’s climate change denial as an excuse to “backslide” on environmental commitments, the Liberal Democrats have said. In a speech today to the think-tank Policy Exchange Tim Farron accused the Government of being “blinkered by right-wing climate change-sceptics who put warped ideology before common sense.” Mr Farron said: “The consensus is unravelling. We have a climate change denier in the White House; which provides a reason or an excuse for other countries to backslide a little too. “We have a Tory Government that went from hugging huskies to dismissing intelligent environmental policies as ‘green crap’, and a Labour Party that has no coherent vision for the environment, industry or the economy. “The Prime Minister choosing to pander to President Trump hardly makes us any more optimistic that her next choices on climate change will be wisdom over transparent political short-termism.” –Jon Stone, The Independent, 22 February 2017
