Complying with a court order, newly confirmed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt released nearly 7,000 emails this week from his time as Oklahoma Attorney General. The emails demonstrate a cozy relationship between Pruitt and energy companies, reaffirming a 2014 New York Times report on Pruitt's close ties to fossil fuel companies. His relationship with Devon Energy, which donated $10,000 between Pruitt's 2010 and 2014 campaigns, was apparent in the emails. In one exchange, a Devon Energy executive offered to draft a letter for Pruitt to sign about the Bureau of Land Management's proposed rule on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In another, a utility company executive sent an email thanking Pruitt after the EPA rescinded a federal compliance plan on Oklahoma for the EPA's regional haze rule.

Trump for America, Inc., the non-profit formed to handle Trump's transition to office, raised approximately $6.5 million in private contributions, according to recently-released U.S. government financial disclosure form. Devon Energy, ExxonMobil Corp., and coal magnate Joseph W. Craft III were among those who financially contributed to Trump's transition group.

Protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline were ordered to evacuate their encampment in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on Wednesday as pipeline construction resumes. Construction was halted last December when the Army Corps of Engineers said it would conduct an environmental impact study on the pipeline's crossing of Lake Oahe. But the Trump administration swiftly reversed course, halting the study and supporting the pipeline's construction despite arguments that it could imperil the drinking water supply on the nearby Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Authorities arrested 36 demonstrators who remained in the evacuation zone before declaring the protest camp officially cleared.

Trump signed an executive order, Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, that establishes procedural steps for agencies to begin implementing regulatory policy changes. Agencies are directed to designate a "regulatory reform officer" and to establish a "regulatory reform task force" to review and identify regulations for repeal or revision. Task forces are required to report to their agency heads within 90 days, identifying regulations that should be repealed, replaced, or modified based on "burden" to the U.S. economy.

This action is a precursor to forthcoming executive orders pertaining to climate change and water regulations. Reports indicate that one executive order will instruct the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to change the Waters of the United States rule, which governs the bodies of water the federal government can regulate under the Clean Water Act. A second order will instruct the EPA to rewrite regulations limiting greenhouse-gas emissions from existing electric utilities and lift the Bureau of Land Management's moratorium on federal coal leasing.

The executive order pertaining to the Waters of the United States rule is expected as soon as Tuesday, and the other executive order is expected at a later date.

In a piece of good news, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Trump's daughter and son-in-law, reportedly persuaded the White House to exclude criticism of the Paris Agreement on climate change from the forthcoming executive orders. The White House has declined to say formally whether Trump plans to withdraw from the accord.

The Trump administration hired Kyle Yunaska, the brother-in-law of Trump's son Eric Trump, as part of the "beachhead team" that is running the Department of Energy until an Energy Secretary is confirmed.

What you can do:

  • Voice your concerns about the Keystone XL pipeline by commenting on TransCanada's application.
  • Call your Senators to oppose the use of the Congressional Review Act to rollback DOI's methane regulations.
  • Call your Member of Congress to express your concerns about developments in energy and environment. See sample questions below.

Suggested Questions for your Member of Congress (MOC):

  1. Questions for all MOCs
    1. What are you doing to prepare our community to the impacts of climate change?
    2. What are you doing to make sure that our community's drinking water stays safe? What are you doing to make sure that our hunting and fishing grounds on public lands are protected?
    3. There is a Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House where Democrats and Republicans are working together to learn more about policy options, like the revenue-neutral carbon tax recently proposed by a group of conservatives led by James Baker and George Schultz. Also known as the "Noah's Ark" caucus, House members can only join by bringing a member of the opposite party. Would you reach across the aisle to a [Republican/Democratic] colleague of yours and ask them to join the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus with you to work together on solutions to climate change?
    4. What are you doing to address flooding resiliency in our district? Will our district be guaranteed to get sufficient FEMA funds if there's [another hurricane/flood/etc.]? What is your position on the National Flood Insurance Program?
  1. Questions to ask MOCs who may be interested in eliminating/undermining the EPA
    1. Do you believe in the science of climate change?
    2. I understand that you think rolling back regulations will help businesses, but how can you assure us that those savings will make their way into our pockets, and also that our air and water won't get polluted in the process?
    3. I understand that you want to eliminate the EPA and let the states control environmental rules. If you eliminate the federal EPA and leave environmental regulation to individual states, how will those state agencies be funded and who would control pollution that goes from one state to the other (for example, pollution that goes downwind or downstream)?
  1. Questions related to the use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) against beneficial government regulations
    1. I understand you voted to repeal the Stream Protection Rule, so that coal companies can now dump coal waste into streams. If coal is being replaced by natural gas as an energy source all across the country, and if the solar industry now employs more people than coal, then how does repealing this rule help us find jobs? How much will this help our economy? Won't this also harm our drinking water?
    2. I understand you voted (or are considering voting) to repeal the methane gas rule. Because this rule applies to natural gas extracted from federal lands, not containing these leaks and instead letting companies vent and flare the leaked gas not only pollutes our air, but also means that this leaked gas is not sold - meaning the public does not get royalties on it. The public is expected to lose $800 million of royalties over the next decade. How can you justify this?

- Energy and Environment Policy Working Group, RISE Stronger

Have comments or something to add? Contact the RISE Energy & Environment Policy Working Group at [email protected]