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On January 20th, a bit more than two weeks from today, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, along with Kamala Harris as Vice President. Changes from one U.S. administration to another are always significant, but sometimes the anticipated changes are not dramatic when the same political party retains the White House, although the last time that happened was the transition in 1988 from Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush. That said, I do not recall a transition that has represented anticipated changes – in terms both of style and substance – as great as the transition from President Trump to President-Elect Biden.
Scientific American
As expected, the president signed executive orders to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and review Trump-era rollbacks
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Joe Biden signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Credit: Doug Mills
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U.S. climate policy hung a U-turn yesterday, with President Biden using his Inauguration Day to launch a domestic and international response to climate change that is diametrically opposed to that of his predecessor.
The new administration marked the day by rejoining the Paris climate agreement, revoking the Keystone XL oil pipeline’s federal permit and pledging to “review” a laundry list of Trump administration regulatory actions aimed at propping up high-emitting industries.
Court Strikes Down Trump Rollback of Climate Regulations for Coal-Fired Power Plants
The ruling throws out the Affordable Clean Energy rule and directs the EPA to start over with its required regulation of greenhouse gases from electricity generation.
January 20, 2021
The Mount Storm coal fired power station sits on a man-made lake near Mount Storm, West Virginia. Credit: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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On President Donald Trump’s last full day in office a federal appeals court landed a major blow to his administration’s deregulatory campaign by rejecting its boldest attempt to stymie climate regulation.
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