Trump likely to try to reverse Obama environment initiatives

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has not minced words about his approach to environment and energy policy: He loathes regulation and wants to increase the use of coal, offshore drilling and fracking.

Trump has said he believes climate change is a hoax and that he would "cancel" U.S. involvement in the landmark Paris Agreement on global warming.

While he has been vague about precise policies, Trump's election likely means trouble for some of President Barack Obama's signature environmental initiatives, environmentalists and policy analysts say.

They say it's probable that Trump's administration will seek to weaken or kill the Clean Power Plan, a cornerstone Obama policy meant to reduce carbon pollution from the nation's power plants as part of an effort to combat climate change.

The Clean Power Plan is being challenged in federal court, and if it survives, Trump could move to scuttle it. But not without a fight.

"We don't consider the CPP dead. We have many tools to help preserve it," said David Goldston, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "He can't just snap his fingers and wish away regulations. There'd be a backlash, which would make Congress think twice."

Any move to back out of the Clean Power Plan or the Paris Agreement could be extremely unpopular moves, environmentalists argue. Polls have shown a majority of voters in at least two states believe global warming is a serious problem.