North Dakota – A supporter of oil, gas and coal energy production is applauding the Trump administration’s pursuit to repeal a climate change regulation that has hampered the industry for nearly fifteen years.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the striking down of the “endangerment finding” which was approved under President Obama in 2009.
The rule classifies classifies the human production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health and welfare.
“It’s become the basis for innumerable regulations [which are] expensive using that same finding to more or less demonize fossil fuels,” said Geoff Simon, former former executive director of the Western Dakota Energy Association said on The Flag on Wednesday.
Listen: Geoff Simon on The Flag
On Tuesday, the EPA, under the leadership of Administrator Lee Zeldin, released a 151-page report produced in part by scientists that takes a second look at past climate change findings.
Favoring the move, Simon says the effort is to “restore some common sense in energy policy.”
“Fossil fuels are the basis of modern society,” said Simon. “They power everything from transportation to our energy.”
“More than 8o% of the global energy supply comes from fossils fuels [like] oil, gas and coal.”
Simon also claims the basis of climate change science revolves around “contrived data” that needs to be changed.
“They’re underpinning these regulations with the belief that if we somehow reduce carbon dioxide emissions, this threat of all these extreme weather things are going to be lessened,” said Simon.
Before the repeal takes effect, the EPA has to run through a public comment period, and environmental groups are likely to challenge any unfavorable decision in court
