Expectations of the Natural Resources Committee & Donald Trump's Promises

For eight years, President Obama levied a smothering regulatory attack on the one sector that’s kept the American economy afloat: energy. American families took a back seat to Putin and OPEC as the administration erected barrier after barrier to responsible domestic energy and natural resource development.  On Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly rejected four more years of oppressive regulations that have exacerbated the country’s economic decline. Instead, they chose “America First.”

Here’s a look at what a Trump administration could mean for important issues within the Committee’s jurisdiction.

OIL & GAS

Fortune: "Trump […] wants to remove regulations that have previously blocked opening up federal lands and offshore areas for oil and gas exploration and production…”
 
Forbes: "We will see an abrupt end to the Bureau of Land Management’s efforts to grab authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal lands...A Trump victory is bad news for OPEC. More American oil will compete head-to-head with the cartel."

COAL

The Hill: “Trump has pledged to bring the coal industry back from the brink and save coal miners' jobs, after years of decline due to competition from cheap natural gas and President Obama's policies.”
 
Bloomberg: "Trump, meanwhile, has released numerous economic and energy-related plans touting an end to the coal-related federal lands leasing moratorium.”

TRIBAL ENERGY

The Washington Times: “The Trump administration will ease restrictions on American energy reserves worth trillions of dollars...and will block the bureaucrats holding Native American businesses back and bring new jobs into our communities.” 
 
DROUGHT & WILDFIRE

USA Today: “Trump said state officials were simply denying water to Central Valley farmers to prioritize the Delta smelt, a native California fish nearing extinction — or as Trump called it, "a certain kind of three-inch fish.”

“We’re going to solve your water problem. You have a water problem that is so insane. It is so ridiculous where they’re taking the water and shoving it out to sea,” Trump said.

Bloomberg: "After several years of stalled action on wildfires and forests...Trump’s election victory changed the prospects for legislative action in 2017."

ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
 
The Hill: “Keystone was central to the national debate over energy and environmental policy. [...]
 
Congressional Republicans tried numerous times to force approval of the project, but Obama always blocked their attempts.”
 
E&E News: "With a President Trump in the White House, the nation's fossil fuel debate will likely shift from "keep it in the ground" to putting pipelines in the ground...”

Natural Gas Intelligence: "Congressional critics of the Obama administration’s final guidance to federal agencies for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions accused the White House in a hearing Wednesday of giving environmental groups ammunition to bring lawsuits against energy projects.
 
"The November presidential election could decide whether the GHG rule prevails, with Republican Donald Trump likely to potentially eliminate it."Tuesday, November 15, 2016
10:00 AM
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subcommittee on Federal Lands
Legislative Hearing on the "Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act"

11:30 AM
1334 Longworth House Office Building
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 866 and H.R. 1484

4:00 PM
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Full Committee
Markup 

Wednesday, November 16, 2016
10:00 AM
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Full Committee
Markup

Promises from President Elect, Donald Trump

Therefore, on the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue the following six measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, DC:

* FIRST, propose a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress;
* SECOND, a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health);
* THIRD, a requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated;
* FOURTH, a 5 year-ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service;
* FIFTH, a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government;
* SIXTH, a complete ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for American elections.
On the same day, I will begin taking the following 7 actions to protect American workers:
* FIRST, I will announce my intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205
* SECOND, I will announce our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
* THIRD, I will direct my Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator
* FOURTH, I will direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately
* FIFTH, I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars' worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal.
* SIXTH, lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks and allow vital energy infrastructure projects, like the Keystone Pipeline, to move forward
* SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America's water and environmental infrastructure
Additionally, on the first day, I will take the following five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law:
* FIRST, cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama
* SECOND, begin the process of selecting a replacement for Justice Scalia from one of the 20 judges on my list, who will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States
* THIRD, cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities
* FOURTH, begin removing the more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants from the country and cancel visas to foreign countries that won't take them back
* FIFTH, suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur. All vetting of people coming into our country will be considered extreme vetting.
Next, I will work with Congress to introduce the following broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my Administration:

1. Middle Class Tax Relief And Simplification Act. An economic plan designed to grow the economy 4% per year and create at least 25 million new jobs through massive tax reduction and simplification, in combination with trade reform, regulatory relief, and lifting the restrictions on American energy. The largest tax reductions are for the middle class. A middle-class family with 2 children will get a 35% tax cut. The current number of brackets will be reduced from 7 to 3, and tax forms will likewise be greatly simplified. The business rate will be lowered from 35 to 15 percent, and the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10 percent rate.
2. End The Offshoring Act. Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.
3. American Energy & Infrastructure Act. Leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over 10 years. It is revenue neutral.
4. School Choice And Education Opportunity Act. Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends common core, brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and make 2 and 4-year college more affordable.
5. Repeal and Replace Obamacare Act. Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines, and lets states manage Medicaid funds. Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA: there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications.
6. Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act. Allows Americans to deduct childcare and elder care from their taxes, incentivizes employers to provide on-side childcare services, and creates tax-free Dependent Care Savings Accounts for both young and elderly dependents, with matching contributions for low-income families.
7. End Illegal Immigration Act Fully-funds the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall; establishes a 2-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a 5-year mandatory minimum for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
8. Restoring Community Safety Act. Reduces surging crime, drugs and violence by creating a Task Force On Violent Crime and increasing funding for programs that train and assist local police; increases resources for federal law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to dismantle criminal gangs and put violent offenders behind bars.
9. Restoring National Security Act. Rebuilds our military by eliminating the defense sequester and expanding military investment; provides Veterans with the ability to receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice; protects our vital infrastructure from cyber-attack; establishes new screening procedures for immigration to ensure those who are admitted to our country support our people and our values
10. Clean up Corruption in Washington Act. Enacts new ethics reforms to Drain the Swamp and reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics.

On November 8th, Americans will be voting for this 100-day plan to restore prosperity to our economy, security to our communities, and honesty to our government.
This is my pledge to you.

http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days

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