WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to undo a slew of Obama-era climate change regulations that his administration says is hobbling oil drillers and coal miners, a move environmental groups have vowed to take to court.

The decree's main target is former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan that required states to slash carbon emissions from power plants - a critical element in helping the United States meet its commitments to a global climate change accord reached by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015.

The so-called "Energy Independence" order also reverses a ban on coal leasing on federal lands, undoes rules to curb methane emissions from oil and gas production, and reduces the weight of climate change and carbon emissions in policy and infrastructure permitting decisions.

"I am taking historic steps to lift restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion, and to cancel job-killing regulations," Trump said at the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, speaking on a stage lined with coal miners.

The wide-ranging order is the boldest yet in Trump´s broader push to cut environmental regulation to revive the drilling and mining industries, a promise he made repeatedly during the presidential campaign. But energy analysts and executives have questioned whether the moves will have a big effect on their industries, and environmentalists have called them reckless.

"I cannot tell you how many jobs the executive order is going to create but I can tell you that it provides confidence in this administration´s commitment to the coal industry," Kentucky Coal Association president Tyler White told Reuters.

Trump signed the order with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Vice President Mike Pence by his side.

U.S. presidents have aimed to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil since the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, which triggered soaring prices. But the United States still imports about 7.9 million barrels of crude oil a day, almost enough meet total oil demand in Japan and India combined.

While Trump's administration has said reducing environmental regulation will create jobs, some green groups have countered that rules supporting clean energy have done the same.

The number of jobs in the U.S. wind power industry rose 32 percent last year while solar power jobs rose by 25 percent, according to a Department of Energy study.

Environmental groups hurled scorn on Trump's order, arguing it is dangerous and goes against the broader global trend toward cleaner energy technologies.

"These actions are an assault on American values and they endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American," said billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, the head of activist group NextGen Climate.

Green group Earthjustice was one of many organizations that said it will fight the order both in and out of court. "This order ignores the law and scientific reality," said its president, Trip Van Noppen.

An overwhelming majority of scientists believe that human use of oil and coal for energy is a main driver of climate change, causing a damaging rise in sea levels, droughts, and more frequent violent storms.

But Trump and several members of his administration have doubts about climate change, and Trump promised during his campaign to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, arguing it would hurt U.S. business.

Since being elected Trump has been mum on the Paris deal and the executive order does not address it.

Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change who helped broker the Paris accord, lamented Trump's order.

"Trying to make fossil fuels remain competitive in the face of a booming clean renewable power sector, with the clean air and plentiful jobs it continues to generate, is going against the flow of economics," she said.

The order will direct the EPA to start a formal "review" process to undo the Clean Power Plan, which was introduced by Obama in 2014 but was never implemented in part because of legal challenges brought by Republican-controlled states.

The Clean Power Plan required states to collectively cut carbon emissions from power plants by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Some 85 percent of U.S. states are on track to meet the targets despite the fact the rule has not been implemented, according to Bill Becker, director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, a group of state and local air pollution control agencies.

Trump´s order also lifts the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management's temporary ban on coal leasing on federal property put in place by Obama in 2016 as part of a review to study the program's impact on climate change and ensure royalty revenues were fair to taxpayers.

It also asks federal agencies to discount the cost of carbon in policy decisions and the weight of climate change considerations in infrastructure permitting, and reverses rules limiting methane leakage from oil and gas facilities. (Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner; writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Mary Milliken and Jeffrey Benkoe) </s> Environmentalists are terrified after President Trump shockingly signed executive orders to overturn climate change policies put into place by Barack Obama. The order means the government won’t be dedicated to combatting global warming, and people have a problem. Read their tweets!

President Donald Trump, 70, signed a sweeping executive order on March 28 at the Environmental Protection Agency that aims to limit the federal government’s involvement in fighting climate change. Instead, the Trump administration said that they’re putting creating American jobs first. Trump’s order directly overturns six climate change policies put into place by Former President Barack Obama, specifically a November 2013 executive order instructing the federal government to prepare the country for the impact of climate change, as well as a September 2016 memorandum that speaks to the “growing threat to national security” climate change poses.

Trump’s order calls for a review of the Clean Power Plan, allows coal mining on US federal lands and lets federal agencies “identify all regulations, all rules, all policies … that serve as obstacles and impediments to American energy independence.” Signing the order brings fears to the forefront about the Trump administration’s attitude toward climate change.

Trump has said multiple times that he doesn’t believe in climate change; in 2012 he tweeted “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”No, he really tweeted that! Environmentalists feared that his presidency would lead to destruction, and after the March 28 order, they expressed their concerns, and disbelief, on Twitter:

“These actions [by President Trump] are an assault on American values and they endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American,” Tom Steyer, the president of NexGen Climate, said in a statement to CNN after the executive order was signed. “Trump is deliberately destroying programs that create jobs and safeguards that protect our air and water, all for the sake of allowing corporate polluters to profit at our expense.”

HollywoodLifers, are you shocked that Trump signed orders to repeal EPA protections? Tell us in the comments. </s> WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will sign a sweeping executive order Tuesday at the Environmental Protection Agency, which looks to curb the federal government’s enforcement of climate regulations by putting American jobs above addressing climate change.

The order represents a clear difference between how Trump and former President Barack Obama view the role the United States plays in combating climate change, and dramatically alters the government’s approach to rising sea levels and temperatures — two impacts of climate change.

A White House official briefed on the plan said Monday the administration believes the government can both “serve the environment and increase energy independence at the same time” by urging the EPA for focus on what the administration believes is its core mission: Clean air and clean water.

More important than regulating climate change, the official said, is protecting American jobs.

“It is an issue that deserves attention,” the official said of climate change. “But I think the President has been very clear that he is not going to pursue climate change policies that put the US economy at risk. It is very simple.”

Tuesday’s order will initiate a review of the Clean Power Plant initiative, rescind the moratorium on coal mining on US federal lands and urge federal agencies to “identify all regulations, all rules, all policies … that serve as obstacles and impediments to American energy independence,” the official said.

Specifically, the order will rescind at least six Obama-era executive orders aimed at curbing climate change and regulating carbon emissions, including Obama’s November 2013 executive order instructing the federal government to prepare for the impact of climate change and the September 2016 presidential memorandum that outlined the “growing threat to national security” that climate change poses.

“The previous administration devalued workers by their policies,” the official said. “We are saying we can do both. We can protect the environment and provide people with work.”

The White House official went on to argue that the best way to protect the environment is to have a strong economy, noting that countries like India and China do less to protect the environment.

“To the extent that the economy is strong and growing and you have prosperity, that is the best way to protect the environment,” the official said.

The executive order also represents the greatest fears climate change advocates had when Trump was elected in November 2016.

“These actions are an assault on American values and they endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American,” Tom Steyer, the president of NexGen Climate, said in a statement. “Trump is deliberately destroying programs that create jobs and safeguards that protect our air and water, all for the sake of allowing corporate polluters to profit at our expense.”

Andrew Steer, CEO of the World Resources Institute, said that the executive order shows Trump is “failing a test of leadership to protect Americans’ health, the environment and economy.”

But as much as Democrats and climate advocates will decry it, Trump’s executive order follows the President’s past comments about climate change. Though Trump told The New York Times during the election that he has an “open mind” about confronting climate change, he also once called it a hoax.

“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive,” Trump tweeted in November 2012.

“I will also cancel all wasteful climate change spending from Obama/Clinton,” Trump said in October 2016.

The changes, the official said, do not mean the Trump administration will not look to protect the environment any longer, the official said, but when pressed about the human impact on climate change and Trump’s beliefs, the official was reluctant to say whether all government officials in the Trump White House believe humans cause climate change.

“I think there are plenty of rules on the books already. We will continue to enforce that provide for clean air and clean water. And that is what we are going to do,” the official said. “The President has been very clear that he wants the EPA to stick to that basic core mission that Congress set out for it.”

The changes also reflect the view of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who routinely sued the organization he now leads during his time as the Attorney General of Oklahoma. In an interview with CNBC earlier this month, Pruitt argued incorrectly that carbon dioxide isn’t the “primary contributor” to climate change, a comment that goes against most scientific research.

This executive order is also an attempt by the Trump administration to make good on its promise to bring more coal jobs back. The official said that Obama’s regulations “were not helpful” to the coal industry and these reversals are the President honoring “a pledge he made to the coal industry.”

“We are going to put our coal miners back to work,” Trump said at a March 2017 event in Kentucky. “They have not been treated well, but they’re going to be treated well now.” </s> President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Tuesday taking steps to unravel the most contentious climate-change policies of his predecessor, the White House said.

The Trump administration will formally review President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which requires utilities to reduce power plant carbon-dioxide emissions 32% below 2005 levels by 2030, a senior White House official said Monday night.

Officials will also pull back August 2016 guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality on climate change and official estimates of the social cost of carbon, methane and nitrous oxide, and rescind a temporary ban on new coal leases on federal lands that Obama’s Interior Department issued in early 2016.

Certain other presidential memorandums issued by Obama on environmental matters would also be canceled, the official said. The moves are all but certain to trigger legal and political pushback from supporters of the Obama administration’s policies on the climate, who include Democrats and environmentalists.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

White House opens door to Democrats in wake of health-bill failure.

The high-speed trading behind your Amazon purchase. </s> Washington (CNN) The executive order President Donald Trump signed Tuesday afternoon at the Environmental Protection Agency is an unambiguous move by the President to halt the United States' government's attempts to curb carbon dioxide emissions with the goal of encouraging American business.

But the executive order, while sweeping, does not do everything the Trump administration thinks. It is unlikely to bring a restoration of the coal industry, is certain to be caught up in court for years, and on its own, doesn't pull the US out of the Paris accords.

Here is a breakdown of what Trump's executive order accomplishes and what it doesn't:

What does Trump hope to achieve?

Donald Trump's executive order on climate change, his advisers say, is the President's attempt to put American jobs first.

"It is an issue that deserves attention," an official said Monday of climate change. "But I think the President has been very clear that he is not going to pursue climate change policies that put the US economy at risk. It is very simple."

Trump has long been a critic of climate change policies, even going so far to call climate change a "hoax" perpetrated by the Chinese.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer would not say Tuesday whether Trump still believes climate change is a hoax.

"He does not believe, as I mentioned at the outset, that there is a binary choice between job creation, economic growth and caring about the environment," Spicer said. "That's what we should be focusing on."

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who sued the EPA routinely as Oklahoma attorney general, argued incorrectly earlier this month that carbon dioxide isn't the "primary contributor" to climate change, a comment that goes against most scientific research.

What is he actually reversing?

Trump's executive order takes a hammer to the moves President Barack Obama took to combat climate change.

It directs EPA to review Obama's Clean Power Plan, rescind the moratorium on coal mining on US federal lands and urge federal agencies to "identify all regulations, all rules, all policies ... that serve as obstacles and impediments to American energy independence," the official said.

It also goes directly after Obama's record, repealing at least six Obama-era executive orders aimed at addressing global warming, including a series of orders that instructed the federal government to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Can Trump actually do all this?

It's unclear. Many of these moves will certainly end up in court.

Experts said Tuesday that getting rid of the Clean Power Plan, the 2014 plan that put a limit to the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a range of power plants, will be far harder than just signing a document.

"The executive order does not make the Clean Power (Plan) go away," said Richard Revesz, Director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law. "This is the first move of a long chess game that will take years to unfold, and future moves will be far more challenging."

Revesz added that the executive order "has no legal significance at all" because it will be part of a process that has "many significant hurdles built in.

"The executive order will be challenged legally because it undermines the Supreme Court's Massachusetts vs. EPA decision, which ruled that the government has a duty to limit climate pollution under the Clean Air Act assuming an endangerment finding, which was issued in 2009, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, and served as the basis of the carbon pollution limits for new and existing power plants," the National Wildlife Federation said on Tuesday.

The Clean Power Plan went to court after Obama unveiled it in 2015. Opponents argue that the EPA went too far under the law to push the rule, while advocates say the agency has the authority to regulate carbon emissions.

The Supreme Court delayed implantation of the rule in February 2016. Since then, a panel of the US Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments on the merits of the rule, but has yet to weigh in.

What happens with the Paris Climate agreement?

That is to be determined.

A White House official told reporters that he would not comment -- good or bad -- on Paris because the Trump administration is still determining whether to withdraw from the landmark climate deal that was struck in 2016.

Trump promised throughout the 2016 campaign that he would pull out of the Paris deal, but the fact he has yet to do some is left some environmental advocates hopeful that he may remain in the agreement.

Even so, if the changes Trump is proposing go through, it will be difficult for the United States to comply with the requirements outlined in the agreement.

With a mix of horror and resolve.

Most understand that Trump's order will go to court, and a number have questioned whether Trump will even be able to implement his order. But what Trump has made clear with the order is that he plans to do a 180-degree turn when it comes to climate change.

"On the heels of the three hottest years on record, President Trump is reversing the biggest steps our country has taken (toward) fighting climate change," League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski said in a statement. "Rolling back these public health protections shows Trump cares more about big polluters than the well-being of our communities."

Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said Trump's executive order "will make things harder, not easier for Americans."

Can coal jobs really come back?

Trump made this a key promise during his 2016 campaign especially during primaries in states with a number of coal jobs, and in Ohio and Pennsylvania during the general election.

Robert Murray, founder and chief executive of Murray Energy, told CNN in January that he asked Trump during a meeting to "temper" his coal promises.

Murray said that coal employment "can't be brought back to where it was before the election of Barack Obama."

Trump's executive order would, however, move to make it easier to mine coal by rescinding the moratorium on coal mining on US federal lands and opening the door to fewer restrictions on carbon emissions produced by power plants.

Doesn't this come as worldwide temperatures are rising?

Yes. The World Meteorological Organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA found that 2016 was the warmest year on record, and the third consecutive year to rank hotter than all previous years.

This, climate scientists say, can only be explained by one thing: Man-made greenhouse gas emissions. </s> WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order intended to roll back most of President Barack Obama's climate-change legacy, celebrating the move as a way to promote energy independence and to restore thousands of lost coal-industry jobs.

Flanked by coal miners at a ceremony at the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump signed a short document titled the "Energy Independence" executive order, directing the agency to start the legal process of withdrawing and rewriting the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of Obama's policies to fight global warming.

"C'mon fellas. You know what this is? You know what this says?" Trump said to the miners. "You're going back to work."

The order also takes aim at a suite of narrower but significant Obama-era climate and environmental policies, including lifting a short-term ban on new coal mining on public lands.

[PRESIDENT TRUMP: Timeline, appointments, executive orders + guide to actions in first 100 days]

The executive order does not address the United States' participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the landmark accord that committed nearly every country to take steps to reduce climate-altering pollution.

Trump advertised the moves as a way to decrease the nation's dependence on imported fuels and revive the flagging coal industry.

"We're ending the theft of American prosperity and reviving our beloved economy," Trump said. "The miners told me about the attacks on their jobs. I made them this promise. We will put our miners back to work."

Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator, said in an interview on ABC News on Sunday that the order will help the United States "be both pro-jobs and pro-environment."

Throughout his campaign, Trump highlighted his support of coal miners, holding multiple rallies in coal country and vowing to restore lost jobs to the flagging industry. At a rally last week in Kentucky, Trump vowed that his executive order would "save our wonderful coal miners from continuing to be put out of work."

While coal-mining jobs have dropped in the United States, they do not represent a significant portion of the U.S. economy. Coal companies employed about 65,971 miners in 2015, down from 87,755 in 2008, according to Energy Department statistics.

"These actions are vital to the American coal industry, to our survival, and to getting some of our coal families back to work," said Robert Murray, the chief executive of Murray Energy, one of the nation's largest coal-mining companies. Murray, a donor to Trump's presidential campaign, stood behind the president as he signed the order.

But Murray conceded that he did not expect Trump's order to return coal-mining numbers to their former strength. "I really don't know how far the coal industry can be brought back," he said.

Trump's directive also eliminates about a half-dozen of Obama's smaller executive orders and memorandums related to combating climate change.

For example, Trump's order requires White House economists to recalculate a budgeting metric known as the social cost of carbon, which under the Obama administration limited pollution by arguing that global warming outweighed economic benefits for industries. The order also eliminates a requirement that federal agencies consider the effect on climate change when analyzing all future environmental permits.

Combined, the measures might ensure that the United States' emissions of planet-warming pollution remain too high to meet the terms of the Paris climate accord.

The aim of the Paris deal is to reduce emissions enough to stave off a warming of the planet by more than 2 degrees Celsius, or about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, from preindustrial levels. That rise in temperature is the level at which, experts say, the earth will be irrevocably locked into a future of extreme droughts, flooding and shortages of food and water. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Can coal make a comeback under Trump?

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order rolling back Obama-era rules aimed at curbing climate change.

The president said this would put an end to the "war on coal" and "job-killing regulations".

The Energy Independence Executive Order suspends more than half a dozen measures enacted by his predecessor, and boosts fossil fuels.

Business groups have praised the Trump administration's move but environmental campaigners have condemned it.

Outside the White House, a few hundred protesters gathered to vent their displeasure at the executive order.

Inside, the president was flanked by coal miners as he signed the order, saying: "My administration is putting an end to the war on coal.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US President Trump said he would cancel "job-killing regulations"

"With today's executive action I am taking historic steps to lift the restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion and to cancel job-killing regulations."

During the campaign, he vowed to pull the US out of the Paris climate deal agreed in December 2015.

What is Mr Trump's order changing?

President Trump takes a very different approach to the environment from Mr Obama. The former president argued that climate change was "real and cannot be ignored".

Among the initiatives now rescinded is the Clean Power Plan, which required states to slash carbon emissions, to meet US commitments under the Paris accord.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Trump says that the US will no longer wage war on coal

The regulation has been unpopular in Republican-run states, where it has been subject to legal challenges - especially from businesses that rely on burning oil, coal and gas.

Last year the Supreme Court temporarily halted the plan, while the challenges are heard.

The Trump administration says that scrapping the plan will put people to work and reduce America's reliance on imported fuel.

It says the president will be "moving forward on energy production in the US".

"The previous administration devalued workers with their policies. We can protect the environment while providing people with work."

During the president's maiden visit to the Environmental Protection Agency, he signed the Energy Independence Executive Order, which cuts EPA regulations in order to support Mr Trump's plan of cutting the agency's budget by a third.

He recently appointed climate change sceptic Scott Pruitt as its new head.

Trump's 'control-alt-delete' on climate change policy

Trump: The best thing ever for climate change?

What will the impact be?

Matt McGrath, BBC environment correspondent

This order signed by President Trump is both a practical and a philosophical attempt to change the US narrative on climate change.

His supporters say it will create thousands of jobs in the liberated oil and gas industries. His opponents agree the new order will be a job creator - but they'll be jobs for lawyers, not in the coal fields.

Front and centre is practical action on the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the Obama project to cut fossil fuels from energy production. Although it has long been tied up in the courts, the new administration will leave it to fester there while they come up with a much weaker replacement.

There will also be new, less restrictive rules on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and more freedom to sell coal leases from federal lands.

President Trump is signalling a significant change in the widely held philosophy that CO2 is the enemy, the main driver of climate change.

US environmentalists are aghast but also enraged. They will be queuing up to go to court. But in many ways that's playing into the hands of President Trump and the fossil fuel lobby.

"Delay is what they want," one green source told me, "delay is winning."

Read Matt's piece in full

Will the US honour its commitments under the Paris climate deal?

While campaigning for the presidency, Mr Trump argued that the agreement was unfair to the US.

The landmark agreement commits governments to moving their economies away from fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions to try to contain global temperature rise.

Mr Trump has in the past said climate change had been "created by and for the Chinese".

Image copyright AP Image caption Reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants was a key part of America's commitment in the Paris climate deal

But at the end of last year, he acknowledged that there was "some connectivity" between human activity and climate change.

It is now unclear where exactly the US stands in relation to the deal.

Whatever the US chooses, the EU, India and China say they will stick to their pledges made in Paris.

What has been the reaction?

The president's order will be resisted by environmentalists, who have promised to challenge it in the courts.

Image copyright AP Image caption Campaigning groups are scathing of the president's environment policies

"These actions are an assault on American values and they endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American," billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"I think it is a climate destruction plan in place of a climate action plan," the Natural Resources Defense Council's David Doniger told the BBC, adding that they will fight the president in court.

Another green group, Earthjustice, said it would challenge the measure in and out of court.

"This order ignores the law and scientific reality," its President Trip Van Noppen said.

World v Trump on global climate deal?

Trump team moving away from supporters on climate science

Does Trump believe in climate change?

Tara McKelvey, BBC White House reporter

Yes - at least according to a senior aide.

When asked whether the president believes in man-made climate change, the aide said "sure", adopting a matter-of-fact tone.

This marks a shift. In 2015 the president said that climate change was a "hoax".

By November 2016, the president had softened his position on the matter, saying he saw "some connectivity" between man and climate change.

Now the president has gone further - at least, according to his aide.

The president, a one-time climate-change denier, now believes, that climate change is real - and that humans are behind it. </s> Former President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the cities and businesses of the United States should step up to reduce greenhouse gases after President Donald Trump announced that America would withdraw from the Paris climate change accord.

The mayor of Pittsburgh, pushing back on Trump's statement that he was elected to represent the citizens of that former steel-making giant rather than those of Paris, condemned the withdrawal.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk immediately announced he will quit presidential advisory councils. Disney CEO Bob Iger said he was out, too. General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said "Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government."

"The United States joins Syria, Nicaragua & Russia in deciding not to participate with world's Paris Agreement. It's now up to cities to lead," Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, said on Twitter.

Trump said at an announcement at the Rose Garden on Thursday that the United States would withdraw from the international agreement negotiated under Obama, citing a desire to protect American jobs and fuel what he has claimed would be three percent economic growth.

Related: What It Means That Trump Is Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement

Because Obama didn't ask the Senate for approval of the Paris accord, Trump can act unilaterally without the consent of Congress. Democrats, however, could slow down any action on the floor in retaliation of the decision and tie any pending nominations to the issue, actions that won't change the outcome but frustrate Republicans and the White House.

Obama said in a statement that a withdrawal means an abdication of American leadership.

"The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack," Obama said in the statement.

"But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got," Obama said.

Related: California and Other States Step Into the Climate Policy Void

Reaction on Capitol Hill was mostly partisan, with Republicans standing by the president's decision, praising the U.S.'s withdrawal as good for the economy. "President Trump has once again put families and jobs ahead of left-wing ideology and should be commended for his action," Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

But some Republicans in Congress opposed Trump's move. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said on Twitter: "Climate change requires a global approach. I'm disappointed in the President's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement."

Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, who is expected to have a tough re-election in his swing district in south Florida, lobbed a series of tweets in opposition.

Trump had pledged on the campaign trail to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, which is a non-binding agreement that asks that all signing countries — rich and poor — take concrete steps to reduce their carbon emissions in the face of climate change.

The Obama administration pledged a 26 to 28 percent cut in U.S. emissions, which Republicans have criticized for potentially having a negative impact on the American economy and its energy sector.

Former Sectary of State John Kerry said on MSNBC that the move to withdraw from the Paris deal was "an extraordinary abdication of American leadership."

He noted that the program was voluntary, and the United States was not forced to do anything under the accord.

"It was a voluntary program. We designed the program," Kerry said. "The president was not truthful with the American people today, and the president who talked about putting 'America first' has now put America last."

Withdrawing from the climate deal could take three years, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said this week.

And French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement Thursday that they take note "with regret" the U.S. decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.

The three leaders say they regard the accord as "a cornerstone in the cooperation between our countries, for effectively and timely tackling climate change."

They added that the course charted by the accord is "irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated."

Macron, Merkel and Gentiloni say they remain committed to the deal and will "step up efforts" to support the poorest and most threatened nations.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric called Trump's decision a "major disappointment for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday "We are deeply disappointed that the United States federal government has decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement" and said Canada is committed to fighting climate change.

Trump on Thursday left open the possibility of renegotiating what he called a better deal that would put American taxpayers first, and suggested the climate deal was a ruse that put the United States at a competitive disadvantage.

"The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries," Trump said.

Former President Bill Clinton said on Twitter: "Walking away from Paris treaty is a mistake. Climate change is real. We owe our children more. Protecting our future also creates more jobs."

And Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said in his first tweet from a verified account that "Today's decision is a setback for the environment and for the U.S.'s leadership position in the world," adding the hashtag #ParisAgreement.

The governors of New York, California, and Washington state said in a statement that they would form a "United States Climate Alliance" which they called "a coalition that will convene U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and taking aggressive action on climate change."

A speaker at a protest near the White House called the move "treason" and the crowd chanted "lock him up," a play off of Trump supporters' chants targeting Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Trump's announced withdrawal from the climate deal was not unexpected. On Wednesday in a tweet in which Trump said he would announce his decision on Thursday, the president ended with his signature phrase: "Make America great again." </s> (ABC NEWS) -- A senior White House official told ABC News that the President is poised to drop out of the Paris climate accord.

Trump has repeatedly called into question the science behind climate change, once calling it a "very expensive hoax." During his campaign, Trump said he would "cancel" the Paris agreement and his administration has ordered cuts to funding for climate science.

The non-binding international agreement went into effect last year and calls for countries to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement was signed by former Secretary of State John Kerry on Earth Day, April 22, 2016 on the U.S. behalf. President Obama signed it into law via executive action, bypassing the then Republican-controlled Senate.

What is the Paris Climate Agreement?

The Paris Agreement is an accord sponsored by the U.N. designed to help slow global climate change. The 147 parties who ratified the convention set a goal of limiting global temperatures increases this century to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 35.6 degrees Farenheit, above levels from the pre-industrial era, defined as the years 1850-1900. It also states an intention to work toward a more stringent limit of only 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 34.7 degrees Farenheit, above pre-industrial era levels.

After the conference, each country set its own "Nationally Determined Contributions" (NDCs) and agreed to report its progress regularly on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. To remain in the deal, the U.S. must cut its emissions by 26 percent from 2005 levels by 2025.

Where do members of the Trump administration stand on the agreement?

Throughout his campaign for the presidency, Trump said he would roll back environmental protections and regulations and threatened to "cancel" the deal.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said The Paris Agreement is bad for America because it’s bad for jobs. However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon, said he supports staying in the deal. White House adviser Ivanka Trump set up a review process to make sure her father received information from experts in both the public and private sectors before making a decision on the agreement.

What are the consequences of withdrawing?

If the U.S. pulls out of The Paris Agreement, it would become one of the largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions not included in the agreement, according to EPA data. The United States would become one of only three nations in a U.N. climate group not to be signed onto the deal, alongside Syria and Nicaragua.

“The Paris agreement was designed to be flexible so that parties could respond to changing domestic circumstances,” Andrew Light, a distinguished senior fellow at the World Resources Institute told ABC News. Light said that the Trump administration could face fallout if it withdraws from the agreement.

“It could potentially harm U.S. businesses who are trying to compete with businesses from other countries in the exploding global market in renewable energy,” Light told ABC News. He went on to explain that withdrawal could look like “Trump is turning his back on the world” by walking away from the spirit of global cooperation that the Paris accord created.

State and religious leaders have expressed desire for Trump to continue U.S. participation in the agreement. The Pope gave Trump copies of his published works on climate change as a parting gift following their meeting on May 24, which some read as an encouragement toward the Paris accord.

Although the official cautions no decision is final until the president announces it, the source said the White House is now working on how to roll out and explain the reasons behind that announcement.

ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Conor Ferguson, Catherine Thorbecke, Michael Edison Hayden and Evan Simon contributed to this report. </s> Since Donald Trump took office early this year he has signed a long and ever-growing list of executive orders, hoping to fulfill a number of his campaign promises.

In his first three weeks alone, Trump signed a burst of orders to undo many of President Barack Obama's policies. Later in June, in his first meeting with his Cabinet, he claimed to have accomplished more than most previous U.S. presidents:

"Never has there been a president — with few exceptions, in the case of FDR, he had a major Depression to handle — who's passed more legislation, who's done more things than what we've done," Trump said. "I think we've been about as active as you can possibly be at a just about record-setting pace."

Trump's claim hinges on the slew of executive orders he has signed, which in his first 100 days exceeded that of any other recent president.

Here's an updated overview of each of Trump's orders:

"Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"

Hours after being sworn in, Trump signed an executive order aimed at reversing the Affordable Care Act — Obama's landmark legislation — which Republicans vowed to "repeal and replace" throughout the campaign.

The executive order states that the Trump administration will "seek prompt repeal" of the law. To minimize the "economic burden" of Obamacare, the order instructs the secretary of health and human services and other agency heads to "waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation" of any part of the law that places a fiscal burden on the government, businesses or individuals.

Also in the order are directions to give states more control over implementing health care laws.

The order outlines how the administration will expedite environmental reviews and approval of "high priority" infrastructure projects, such as repairs to bridges, airports and highways.

The order directs the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), within 30 days of a request, to determine a project's environmental impact and decide whether it is "high priority." Project review deadlines are to be put in place by the CEQ's chairman.

The order is widely believed to have been issued in response to the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

"Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States"

The order outlines changes to a few immigration policies, but most notably it strips federal grant money to so-called sanctuary cities.

In addition, the secretary of homeland security is ordered to hire 10,000 more immigration officers, create a publicly available weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and review previous immigration policies.

The order also creates an office to assist the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and calls on local and state police to detain or apprehend people in the United States illegally.

The order is aimed at fulfilling one of Trump's key campaign promises — enhancing border security — by directing federal funding to construction of a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border. It instructs the secretary of homeland security to prepare congressional budget requests for the wall and to "end the abuse of parole and asylum provisions" that complicate the removal of undocumented immigrants.

Other parts of the order call for hiring 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, building facilities to hold undocumented immigrants near the Mexican border and ending "catch-and-release" protocols, in which immigrants in the United States without documentation are not detained while they await court hearings.

"Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States"

The order suspends the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries — Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia — for 90 days and stops all refugees from entering the country for 120 days. Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely. During the time of the ban, the secretary of homeland security and the secretary of state will review and revise the refugee admission process.

Also in the order is the suspension of Obama's 2012 Visa Interview Waiver Program, which allowed frequent U.S. tourists to bypass the visa interview process.

White House officials have made a number of contradictory statements, at times calling the order a "ban" and at other times referring to it as a "travel restriction." After the order was signed, thousands of protesters popped up at airports across the country to denounce it.

This order stops all executive branch officials from lobbying for five years after they leave office and places a lifetime ban on lobbying a foreign government.

The order enacts a number of other lobbying restrictions, including banning appointees from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists and banning appointees who were lobbyists from participating in any issues they petitioned for within the last two years.

Some raised concerns over how Trump will fill the jobs in his administration under the new rules.

The order states that executive departments and agencies must slash two regulations for every one new regulation proposed. Regulation spending cannot exceed $0, and any costs associated with regulations must be offset with eliminations.

The order also directs the head of each agency to keep records of the cost savings, to be sent to the president.

"Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System"

The order lays the administration's "Core Principles" regarding the U.S. financial system, which includes:
• Ensuring that U.S. firms are competitive with foreign companies

The order directs the treasury secretary to review financial regulations and report back to the president 120 days later with a determination of whether current policies promote the "Core Principles."

The order directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to create a task force that would propose new legislation to reduce crime, highlighting drug trafficking, illegal immigration and violent crime. The task force will submit yearly reports to the president.

Throughout the campaign, Trump promised voters a return to "law and order" in the United States and said minorities from inner cities are "living in hell" because of violent crime.

The order calls on the Justice Department to "enhance the protection and safety" of law enforcement by increasing penalties for crimes committed against officers.

The attorney general is also instructed to review and determine whether existing federal laws adequately protect law enforcement and later to propose legislation to better protect officers. The order directs the Justice Department to recommend changes in federal grant funding to law enforcement programs if they do not protect officers.

"Enforcing Federal Law With Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking"

The order outlines the administration's approach to cutting down on organized crime — including gangs, cartels and racketeering organizations — by enhancing cooperation with foreign governments and the ways in which federal agencies share information and data.

It identifies human trafficking, drug smuggling, financial crimes, cyber-crime and corruption as "a threat to public safety and national security."

The Threat Mitigation National Intelligence — of which Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and the secretary of homeland security are co-chairmen — will review and recommend changes to federal agencies' practices in a report to be delivered to the president within 120 days.

"Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice"

Two weeks after Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, this order changes the order of succession for Sessions, who won approval as attorney general last week. The sequence is: the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

A week before leaving office, Obama signed an executive order changing the order of succession without explanation.

Under this order, each agency must designate an official as its Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO), who will be responsible for reviewing current regulations and making recommendations to the agency head on how to modify them. The RRO must hone in on certain regulations, such as those that are outdated or are perceived to curtail job creation.

The order reiterate's Trump's plan to cut down on regulations and comes nearly a month after the president signed an executive order requiring agencies to slash two regulations for every one proposed.

"Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the 'Waters of the U.S.' Rule"

The order calls on federal agencies to revise a regulation put in place by former president Barack Obama called the Clean Water Rule. Signed in 2015, the rule expanded the number of bodies of water protected by the federal government to include streams, ponds and smaller waterways.

Trump's order directs the administrator of the EPA and the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works to review the rule and propose a new one that either eliminates or revises Obama's rule.

"White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities"

The order transfers the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHHBCU) from the Department of Education to the Executive Office of the President. Since its creation under President Ronald Reagan, the initiative had been under the purview of the Education Department.

Trump met with dozens of HBCU presidents the day prior for a listening session, which many students and college leaders were quick to protest out of skepticism that the president was using the meeting as a PR stunt.

In an interview with NBC News, Omarosa Manigault said of the order, "We understand that the executive order starts the action but there are so many different steps in terms of defining programming."

"Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the U.S."

The order revises Trump's original U.S. immigration ban, which was hit with dozens of lawsuits shortly after being signed in February and blocked by a federal judge in Washington state. The new order, which goes into effect March 16, bans citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

The countries include Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Iraq was removed from the list after the Iraqi government said it would increase information sharing with the United States.

The order assigns the Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney to propose a plan to "reorganize and governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies" in an effort to cut down of federal spending and improve "efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of that agency." Within 180 days, the heads of select agencies must submit individual plans to Mulvaney, who will have another 180 days to send a plan to the president.

During a daily press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the executive order "long overdue" and said agencies will undergo a "thorough investigation" into fiscal waste, though he was unable to provide a target goal for the amount of money the order aims to save.

The executive order revokes key components of the Obama administration's previous executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or identity, gay rights advocates say.

Organizations representing the LGBTQ community say the "Presidential Executive Order on the Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders" hobbles several of Obama's previous orders including the "Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces" order by revoking the requirement that companies seeking federal contracts prove they've complied with federal laws banning discrimination based on sexual identity or orientation.

The order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to review another executive order, called the Clean Power Plan, signed by Barack Obama in 2014. Obama's plan, which aimed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, was halted by the Supreme Court in 2016.

Trump's new order also asks agencies to review any regulations that could "potentially burden the development or use" of oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy resources. Within 180 days, the agencies must submit reports to the Office of Management and Budget, which will take action to eliminate regulations.

"Establishing the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis"

The order creates the "Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis," which will study the federal government's effectiveness in fighting drug addiction by reviewing funding levels, accessibility of treatment services, prescription practices and youth educational messages. A report will be sent to the president within 90 days of the order being signed.

Trump appointed Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey as head of the commission.

The order directs the Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representative to compile a report on trade practices that contribute to the trade deficit. The report will look at each of America's trade partners and assess whether the country's trade practices unfairly discriminate against the U.S.

Forms of discrimination the report will assess includes non-tariff barriers, anti-dumping and intellectual property theft. Within 90 days, the report will be sent to the White House detailing causes for the deficit.

"Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice"

The order changes the succession line for the Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The new sequence is:
• United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
• United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas

"Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Law"

The order directs the secretary of homeland security to develop a plan within 90 days to combat two types of non-trade barriers placed against the U.S.: anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

The order also directs the DHS Secretary and Treasury secretary to step up seizure of counterfeit goods and protect American companies from intellectual property right infringement.

The order has two parts. The "Hire American" portion of the bill targets the H-1B visa program, which allows businesses to hire high-skilled workers from outside the U.S., by putting less emphasis on the lottery system used to determine which companies can sponsor visas.

The "Buy American" portion of the order directs agencies to tighten rules that give priority to U.S. companies when hiring contractors or purchasing goods. This would be done by reducing the use of waivers and exceptions to current laws. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross must submit a review of "Buy American" loopholes within 220 days.

The order directs Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin to review within 60 days all tax regulations put in place in 2016 and 2017 that put an "undue financial burden on United States taxpayers."

Within 150 days, Mnunchin will submit a plan to the president detailing ways to alleviate "the burden imposed by regulations" identified in the initial review.

The order creates a task force, led by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, that will identify policy options to promote U.S. agriculture business and job growth in rural America. The task force must submit a report to Trump within 180 days.

The task force will look at regulations that impede U.S. agricultural growth and for ways to encourage the use of agricultural products made in America.

"Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act"

The order directs the Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke to review federal monument designations — including national parks — made since 1996 that cover more than 100,000 acres of land. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, presidents have the power to protect land.

Trump's order names one national monument designation in particular: Obama's 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Zinke must submit a report to Trump within 45 days.

Under the order, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is directed to study federal overreach in local and state education systems.

As a strong advocate for charter schools, DeVos will determine within 300 days whether federal education regulations take control away from states in areas such as curriculum, school administration and textbook or library content.

The order is aimed at improving accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs, which found itself at the center of a 2014 controversy in which dozens of veterans reportedly died while on the wait list for medical care. The order directs Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin to create the "Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection" in the department within 45 days.

The office will be charged with investigating wrongdoing within the department and terminating any VA employee who fails to "carry out his or her duties on behalf of veterans."

"We will always stand with those who stood for freedom and who stood for us. They protected us, they made it all possible, and now we’re going to protect and take care of them,” Trump said at the signing.

The order reverses a ban on Arctic leasing put in place under the Obama administration in December and directs Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review areas available for off-shore oil and gas exploration.

“We are unleashing American energy and clearing the way for thousands and thousands of high-paying American energy jobs,” President Trump said during the announcement.

"Establishment of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy"

The order establishes the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which will advise Trump on policies to increase economic growth and decrease the trade deficit. Leading the new office is Trump appointee and National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro, who said he wants to renegotiate NAFTA.

The office will also help implement the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order signed by Trump on April 18.

The order directs Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to review all U.S. trade agreements, as well as relations with countries that run trade deficits with America.

Within 180 days, Ross must send a performance review to Trump detailing any violations.

The order launches the American Technology Council, headed by 19 different Trump administration officials and cabinet members who will be tasked with modernizing the federal government's digital services and technology.

The task force, which ends in 2021, will "coordinate the vision, strategy, and direction" regarding the federal government's use of information technology.

The order eases IRS enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which bans churches from engaging in political speech. It also gives relief to companies that disagree with the Affordable Care Act mandate on contraception in health care coverage.

Although the order shows Trump delivering on a key campaign promise, congressional approval is needed to fully repeal the law.

"Establishment of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity"

The order creates a commission, led by Vice President Mike Pence, to investigate allegations of voter fraud and voter suppression in the U.S. voting process. The commission, called the "Presidential Commission on Election Integrity," will review vulnerabilities in the election system.

It comes following persistent and unfounded claims by President Donald Trump that the 2016 election was rigged and that millions of "illegals" voted to cost him the popular vote.

"Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure"

The order aims to strengthen the cybersecurity of networks within the federal government by having agency heads adhere to an outlined plan.

It directs the Director of the American Technology Council to present a report to Trump within 90 days outlining steps to take for a "modern, secure, and more resilient" IT structure. The Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Homeland Security are also directed to find ways to "dramatically [reduce] threats perpetrated by automated and distributed attacks."

The order calls for the establishment of the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, led and appointed by the labor secretary, which will "identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships, especially in sectors where apprenticeship programs are insufficient."

Apprenticeships, defined in the order as paid work with an educational component, are aimed at providing workers with relevant experience and skills that offer affordable paths to employment.

The order provides funding to promote apprenticeship programs across different industries, calls for the expansion of apprenticeship participation among students at educational institutions and instructs agencies to eliminate current federally funded apprenticeship programs deemed ineffective.

The order amends an executive order issued by the Obama administration on visa and foreign visitor processing that aimed "to enhance and expedite travel to and arrival in the United States by foreign nationals."

It eliminates the clause that required 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applicants to be interviewed within three weeks of application receipt, and calls on the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to revise the visa expediting implementation plan laid out in Obama's order "as necessary and appropriate."

The order "revives" The National Space Council, a council tasked with advising the president on space strategy that was first established in a 1989 executive order by George H. W. Bush. It appoints the Vice President as chairman and establishes the agency heads that will compose it.

The council will meet at least annually to review policies and develop strategies for space activity. The order mandates that the group submit a report to the President "setting forth its assessment of, and recommendations for, the space policy and strategy of the United States Government" within the next year.

"The establishment of the council is another demonstration of the Trump Administration's deep interest in our work, and a testament to the importance of space exploration to our economy, our nation, and the planet as a whole," said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot in a statement about the order.
U.S. President Trump signs an executive order undoing former President Obama's climate change policies.