US 🐉🦕🦖 says conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
SNIPPET:
August 19, 2018y
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative for the U.S., the
Trump administration declares in a major new policy statement that
threatens to undermine decades of government campaigns for gas-thrifty cars and other conservation programs.🤬The position was outlined in a memo released last month in support of the administration’s proposal to relax fuel mileage standards. The government released the memo online this month without fanfare.
Growth of
natural gas and other alternatives to petroleum has reduced the need for imported oil, which “in turn affects the need of the nation to conserve energy,” the Energy Department said.
It also cites the now
decade-old fracking revolution that has unlocked U.S. shale oil reserves, giving “the United States more flexibility than in the past to use our oil resources with less concern.”
With the memo, the administration is formally challenging old justifications for conservation — even congressionally prescribed ones, as with the mileage standards. The memo made no mention of climate change. Transportation is the single largest source of climate-changing emissions.
President
Donald Trump 🦀 has questioned the existence of climate change, embraced the notion of “energy dominance” as a national goal, and called for easing what he calls burdensome regulation of oil, gas and coal, including repealing the Obama Clean Power Plan.
Despite the increased oil supplies, the administration continues to believe in the need to “use energy wisely,” the Energy Department said, without elaboration. Department spokesmen did not respond Friday to questions about that statement.
Reaction was quick.
Full article:https://www.apnews.com/18583e5da59d4329bc6a409e233aad7f/US-says-conserving-oil-is-no-longer-an-economic-imperative