Trump administration lifts protections on federal land, opens leases to energy industry

Walking back a 2015 regulation under President Obama, the Trump administration on Friday finalized a move to lift protections on nearly 9 million acres of federal lands for the greater sage grouse, with the aim of expanding leases for the oil, gas and mining industry, reports the Washington Post.

The big picture: Also this week, the Interior Department spelled out plans to keep the Atlantic coast in its program to expand offshore oil-and-gas leasing despite criticism. Per WaPo: “In pursuit of that agenda over the past two years, the administration has sought to reverse dozens of regulations aimed at making oil platforms safer, reducing carbon dioxide and methane released into the atmosphere, and protecting the habitats of endangered animals and those on the verge of an endangered status.”