The US administration has stated that “energy conservation” is no longer a priority due to its burgeoning domestic production of oil and gas, according to the AP news agency. A statement from the Energy Department has declared that the demand for imported oil has diminished which “in turn affects the need of the nation to conserve energy.”
The statement also references the superpower’s growing tight oil segment and observes that fracking has “unlocked” shale oil reserves and thus provides “the United States more flexibility than in the past to use our oil resources with less concern.”
According to AP, the new position was unveiled in a memo last month to back up the administration’s proposal to relax fuel mileage standards. The memo has now appeared online without much attention.
President Donald Trump, an ardent climate change sceptic, withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement just over a year ago – the memo makes no mention of climate change at all. Trump wants to relax regulations on oil, coal and gas.
The statement includes the comment to “use energy wisely” without explanation or further detail.
