Economy First: Trump Overturns Obama Climate Change Measures

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that will suspend, rescind or flag for review more than a half-dozen measures that were part of former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming.

Among the measures up for review is the Clean Power Plan, which restricts greenhouse gas emissions at coal-fired power plants. The administration will also lift a 14-month-old moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands.

Trump accused Obama of waging a "war on coal" and attacking American workers, along with the U.S. coal industry. An Energy Department analysis released in January highlights how coal mining accounts for fewer than 70,000 jobs. Renewable energy, which includes wind and solar, now accounts for more than 650,000 jobs.

The order will initiate a review of efforts to reduce the emission of methane in oil and natural gas production. It also rescinds Obama-era memoranda that addressed climate change and national security and one that sought to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change.

Scott Pruitt, Trump's Environmental Protection Agency chief, said he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming.

Meanwhile, Judicial Watch is suing the U.S. Department of Commerce, demanding the agency turn over all records of communications between a pair of federal scientists who heavily influenced the Obama administration's climate change policy and its backing of the Paris Agreement.

"There has been a lot of debate whether the Obama administration has correctly handled the data with global warming," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.

"We are hoping the Trump administration is more forth coming with what the government is up to," said Fitton.