The Trump administration appears to be taking steps to give its energy policy initiatives staying power, even if the next US president is a Democrat.
The administration is working hard to introduce new regulations, hold new auctions, and wrap up litigation on energy issues before the summer, Argus Media reported on December 26. The deadline is critical, since the Congressional Review Act will give incoming legislators elected in 2020 the power to overturn laws approved within the last 60 working days, it said.
If these efforts succeed, the U.S. Interior Department will be able to start offering leases for prospective fields within the federally-controlled Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. ANWR is estimated to hold as much as 5.7-10.4 billion barrels of crude oil.