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The Trump EPA: A Dramatic Shift From the Obama Era

The Trump administration is taking steps Tuesday toward dismantling former President Obama’s signature climate regulation, the Clean Power Plan, as President Donald Trump signs an executive order the White House promises will both bring back jobs and help the climate.

“The president [is] coming to the EPA to set a new course,” EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said during an interview on Fox News Tuesday. “We’re going to be pro-growth and pro-environment.”

Tuesday’s executive order is a push toward American energy independence, an agenda the Trump administration believes will bring back jobs in manufacturing, coal and gas, Pruitt said.

The “energy independence” directive is a stab at President Obama’s Clean Power Plan which aimed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning power plants. The law was halted by the Supreme Court last year after 27 states and a multitude of business groups challenged its legality.

Pruitt called the Obama-era regulation an effort to “kill jobs” in the United States. While both critics and supporters agree with the administration’s sentiment that pro-jobs and pro-climate policies aren’t mutually exclusive, they disagree on what type of jobs should be created.

Rolling back these regulations will “absolutely” lead to a boost in employment throughout the sector, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told FOX Business.

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