Energy Brief: Week in Review & What’s Ahead.
Week in Review National monuments Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended that President Donald Trump shrink the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument.
Zinke also said he is considering changes to Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, a move that may include making it a national park.
EPA budget Lawmakers in both parties criticized the White House’s proposal to cut $2.6 billion, or 31 percent, from the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget for fiscal year 2018.
Administrator Scott Pruitt heard lawmakers’ concerns about water pollution, Superfund sites, chemical safety and other issues during a congressional hearing on the administration’s budget blueprint.
Delayed regulations The EPA delayed implementation of an Obama administration chemical-safety rule until 2019.
The agency also proposed a two-year delay for its rule on methane emissions.
The Department of the Interior is preparing to delay its own rule on methane emissions from facilities on public lands.
Eleven states sued the Department of Energy for its failure to finalize energy-efficiency rules for air conditioners and other products.
Dakota Access Pipeline A federal judge ordered another environmental review for the Dakota Access Pipeline, although he did not call for the pipeline to stop operation.