#Interior has suspended a #legal opinion that held companies liable for killing #ducks, #cranes, #pelicans, #owls & HUNDREDS of other #birds.

In a memo dated Feb 28…, Interior’s acting chief atty suspended EVERY legal opinion issued by the #Biden admin, including one that subjected companies to penalties for killing birds through activities such as #oil & #gas #drilling, wind #energy production, #mining or #construction.

#Trump #law #Climate #wildlife #conservation
https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-03/m-opinion-suspension-review0.pdf

Sen #MikeLee (R-Utah), the new chairman of the Senate #Energy & #NaturalResources Cmte, suggested that he would seek to overturn the decision using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to nullify an executive action within 60 days of enactment with a simple majority vote.

…Lee said in an emailed statement, …“Senate #Republicans will push back using every tool at our disposal.”

Environmentalists praised #Biden’s plans, saying they would prevent future #oil spills that threaten #coastal communities & marine #wildlife.

…#Biden plans to invoke the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives #POTUS broad powers to withdraw federal #waters from future leasing.A federal judge ruled in 2019 that such withdrawals cannot be undone without an act of #Congress.

#POTUS #Biden will move Monday to block all future #oil & #gas #drilling across >625 million acres of federal #waters — equivalent to nearly ¼ of the total land area of the #UnitedStates….

The action underscores how Biden is racing to cement his legacy on #ClimateChange & #conservation in his last weeks in office. #Trump, who has described his #energy policy as “drill, baby, drill,” is likely to work w/congressional #Republicans to challenge the decision.

#Trump said he will let #RFKJr, a #vaccine skeptic open to removing fluoride in drinking water, run federal #health policy. And Trump & congressional #Republicans have said they’ll get rid of the #ACA.

Trump has said #ClimateChange is a “hoax” & campaigned to end the #Biden admin’s #climate initiatives & rules aimed at lowering #emissions that contribute to #GlobalWarming & extreme weather. Trump instead has said he will expand #oil & #gas #drilling in the US, including in protected lands.

"#Microsoft expanded its partnership with Schlumberger, an oil-technology company, to develop and launch an AI-enhanced service on Microsoft’s Azure platform. Azure provides cloud computing to a variety of organizations, but this product was tailor-made for the oil and gas industries, to assist in the production of fossil fuels, among other uses."

Karen Hao: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/09/microsoft-ai-oil-contracts/679804/?gift=lhL3dXSYCcu9vqTqEbg0OHfJiu_TRdq079IHN4QaSAE poke @stefan

Pressed late last year to promise not to abuse #power…, Trump said that he would not be a #dictator “except for Day One,” vowing to close the southern #border & expand #oil #drilling.

“A lot but not all of what #Trump says he wants to do on day one is going to be #illegal or impractical,” said Steve Vladeck, a constitutional #law expert at Georgetown…“But even the illegal stuff might go into effect for some time, & he might actually succeed in pushing the law in his direction.”

Here's #WhatBidenDid for pristine wilderness areas in Alaska:

"Today, my Administration is stopping a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that #Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we are taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from #mining and #drilling," Biden said in a statement. "These natural wonders demand our protection."

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-protects-alaska-lands-important-tribes-hunting-fishing-2024-06-28/

Some proposals:

Department of Energy
– eliminate three agency offices that are crucial for the #EnergyTransition
– slash funding for #grid deployment an effort to stymie #RenewableEnergy deployment
– hugely expand fossil #gas infrastructure

EPA:
– move it away from its focus on the #climate crisis
– cut #EnvironmentaJustice and public engagement functions
– terminating new hires in “low-value programs”

Interior and BLM:
– eliminate #drilling regulations.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other