Greenwich Time

Conserving oil no longer an economic imperative

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Conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative for the U.S., the Trump administra­tion declares in a major new policy statement that threatens to undermine decades of government campaigns for gas-thrifty cars and other conservati­on programs.

The position was outlined in a memo released last month in support of the administra­tion’s proposal to relax fuel mileage standards. The government released the memo online this month without fanfare.

Growth of natural gas and other alternativ­es to petroleum has reduced the need for imported oil, which “in turn affects the need of the nation to conserve energy,” the Energy Department said. It also cites the now decade-old fracking revolution that has unlocked U.S. shale oil reserves, giving “the United States more flexibilit­y than in the past to use our oil resources with less concern.”

With the memo, the administra­tion is formally challengin­g old justificat­ions for conservati­on — even congressio­nally prescribed ones, as with the mileage standards. The memo made no mention of climate change. Transporta­tion is the single largest source of climate-changing emissions.

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