Trump Vows to Unravel Climate Change Policies in Favor of Oil

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised on Thursday to roll back the U.S’s most ambitious environmental policies, which he said would revive the ailing U.S. oil and coal industries and bolster national security.

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Among the proposals are approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada and rescinding measures by President Barack Obama to cut U.S. emissions and protect waterways from industrial pollution.

Trump, in an interview this month with Reuters, said that he viewed the U.N. global climate accord signed by 195 countries in Paris in December as bad for U.S. business. “We’re going to cancel the Paris climate agreement,” he said.

"Any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely … We're going to do all this while taking proper regard for rational environmental concerns," Trump told about 7,700 people at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, the capital of oil-rich North Dakota.

One of Trump's previous statements on climate change. Source: Twitter

Trump slammed Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, saying their environmental policies in favor of renewable energy would kill jobs and force the United States "to be begging for oil again" from Middle East producers.

Trump's comments drew quick criticism from environmental advocates, who called his proposals "frightening."

"Trump’s energy policies would accelerate climate change, protect corporate polluters who profit from poisoning our air and water, and block the transition to clean energy that is necessary to strengthen our economy and protect our climate and health," said Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist.

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He received loud applause from the crowd of oil executives.

"It’s simple. If Trump wins, oil field workers will be happy. If Clinton wins, oil workers will be unhappy," said Derrick Alexander, an operations manager at oilfield services firm Integrated Productions Services.