Donald Trump Promises Deregulation of Energy Production Republican presidential nominee vows to end ‘all unnecessary regulations’ By John W. Miller

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-promises-deregulation-of-energy-production-1474566335

PITTSBURGH—Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised sweeping deregulation of natural-gas, oil and coal production as part of an “America-first energy” plan.

Speaking on Thursday to a conference of 1,500 gas-industry executives, managers and salespeople, Mr. Trump said he would lift restrictions on America’s “untapped energy—some $50 trillion in shale energy, oil reserves and natural gas on federal lands, in addition to hundreds of years of coal energy reserves.”

He promised to end “all unnecessary regulations, and a temporary moratorium on new regulations not compelled by Congress or public safety.”

 

Mr. Trump named an $850 million coal export terminal in Washington, a $3 billion Northwest gas pipeline and a $6.8 billion gas-export terminal as examples of the fossil-fuel projects that have been rejected by regulators or withdrawn by supporters since 2012. A recent tally found about $33 billion in projects have been derailed by regulations, grass-roots opposition and falling energy prices, a figure that Mr. Trump cited in his speech.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has called for investment in renewable energy and steep reductions in U.S. carbon emissions as part of an effort to address global warming.

 

The development of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has stimulated gas drilling throughout the Marcellus and Utica shales, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and offering new business opportunities for suppliers. For example, U.S. Steel Corp. expanded its business making steel pipes and tubes used in gas drilling. But the shale-gas industry has suffered since 2014, when energy prices started declining. CONTINUE AT SITE

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