Administration

While the head of the American Petroleum Institute (API) on Wednesday hailed the advent of the Trump administration as an opportunity to fulfill America’s full oil/natural gas potential globally, a major environmental organization declared war on the incoming administration’s stated intent to rollback current regulations.

Officials from 24 states opposed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) have written a letter to the incoming Trump administration, urging it to scuttle the plan shortly after the president-elect takes office next month.

As the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign draws to a close, analysts and industry experts appear to agree that national energy policies enacted under the Obama administration will continue along a similar trajectory if Hillary Clinton is elected president, but face a major overhaul if Donald Trump wins.

Donald Trump pledged an “America first” energy policy before a room full of oil and gas executives in Pittsburgh on Thursday, making an appeal to the industry in his most extensive address yet on the topic, which he said is central to his economic plans.

The Pennsylvania Senatethis week confirmed Democratic Gov.Tom Wolf’s former energy adviser,David Sweet, to serve on the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) 49-0. Wolf nominated Sweet to the commissioner’s seat in May. He joined Wolf’s administration in April 2015 to focus on energy and economic development issues. It’s unclear whether Wolf intends to replace Sweet. “David’s extensive background in economic development and finance will lend itself well to the commission’s work and its mission, balancing the needs of consumers and utilities,” said PUC Chairwoman Gladys Brown.

Stymied, for now, in attempts to further regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the utility level, the Obama administration Thursday announced plans — in collaboration with Canada — to target methane emissions from existing oil and natural gas production/transmission facilities.

In his final State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama touted America’s success in developing renewables like wind and solar but, unlike previous speeches, omitted any reference to the role of natural gas or unconventional drilling in securing the nation’s energy future.

The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA) is considering legal action against Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration for a series of moves that led to changes at the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and new draft rules for the industry that are expected to be implemented next year.

House lawmakers said they are frustrated by how long it is taking the Obama administration to create rules governing pipeline and rail car safety, and they questioned why it is taking so long to formally nominate people to top regulatory posts.