"President Barack Obama is preparing to block the sale of new offshore drilling rights in much of the U.S. Arctic and parts of the Atlantic, a move that could indefinitely restrict oil production there, according to two people familiar with the decision."
"The Interior Department on Monday issued a rule putting tighter restrictions on coal mining near streams, one of several environmental rules President-elect Donald Trump has targeted to undo once he takes office in January."
"The incoming Trump administration appears determined to reverse much of what President Obama has tried to achieve on climate and environment policy. ... But mayors and governors — many of them in states that supported President-elect Donald J. Trump — say they are equally determined to continue the policies and plans they have already adopted to address climate change and related environmental damage."
"ExxonMobil successfully lobbied against a bill that would have made it harder for the next president to lift sanctions against Russia, clearing the way for the oil giant to restart a program worth billions of dollars if Donald Trump eases those restrictions as president."
"After eight years of being banished and sometimes vilified by the Obama administration, the fossil fuel industry is enjoying a remarkable resurgence as its executives and lobbyists shape President-elect Donald Trump’s policy agenda and staff his administration."
"Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s outspoken denial of climate science being reflected not just through his words but his appointments, there is growing sentiment that the country’s energy future will be decided largely at the state level and by markets, relatively independent of Trump’s positions."
"The Trump transition team appeared to back away from a controversial questionnaire sent to the Energy Department last week that had asked for the names of department staffers who had worked on several climate-change initiatives under President Obama."
"Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) sees himself as 'a Teddy Roosevelt guy,' a supporter of public lands who makes his own decisions, whether they follow the party line or not. But environmentalists continue to be wary of President-elect Donald Trump's potential pick for Interior secretary."
"Three years ago, Rex W. Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil and now President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, was probably the man least expected to show up at a town council meeting in North Texas to oppose a local construction project."
"The former Texas governor has questioned the scientific consensus on climate change and once forgot the name of the agency when listing those he wanted to eliminate."
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