President Trump will sign an executive order tomorrow ordering Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review off-shore drilling opportunities.
What's in it: The Interior Department is going to both review and rewrite the off-shore drilling plan currently in place, which limits drilling to most of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Cook Inlet.
Plus, industry sources tell Axios to also expect the order to seek the reversal of Obama's December effort to permanently ban development in nearly all U.S. Arctic waters and swaths of the Atlantic coast. 94% of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is currently off-limits.
Senators Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley, and Ed Markey introduced their "100 by 50 Act" — designed to completely transition the United States to clean and renewable energy by 2050 — during a rally this morning in D.C.
Their biggest thing: The senators believe that the United States' position as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases gives it a moral responsibility to take the lead. "If we expect other countries around the world to listen to us, we cannot preach temperance from a barstool," Markey said.
Odds are that the U.S. will remain a party to the Paris climate accord former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday In a brief appearance at the TED conference in Vancouver.
"I think there is a better than 50-50 chance the Trump administration will decide to stay in the Paris agreement," Gore said. "I don't know that for sure."
Gore said there is a debate taking place tomorrow inside the White House with a decision set to be announced the third week in May before a G-20 summit. "I think the odds are they will decide to stay in Paris agreement. I certainly hope so."
The backdrop: Gore's comments came during an entire session devoted to the impact on climate change. Discussions ranged from more accurate pictures of the crisis to weighing radical solutions, including shooting chalk into the atmosphere in order to reduce the amount of sunlight heating the earth. That idea drew criticism from Gore and others.
New this morning: Over a dozen major companies are joining the ranks of corporate giants who are publicly pressing the White House to remain in the Paris climate accord.
Who's in favor: Companies sending a new letter to President Donald Trump include tech giants Google, Microsoft and Intel; oil majors BP and Shell; and other large entities like Walmart, General Mills, Unilever and DuPont.
What they're saying: The letter organized by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions argues that staying in the pact helps U.S. economic competitiveness, arguing that climate change presents business risks and opportunities.
