Arctic Drilling, ‘Secret Science’ on Outgoing Agencies’ Agendas

The Interior Department and the EPA are expected to rush to solidify its deregulatory agenda for public lands, energy, and environment in the Trump administration’s final months, possibly opening more federal land to fossil fuels development, former Interior officials, advocates and legal scholars say.

But many of Interior’s last-minute actions may not stick, former department officials and legal scholars say.

“There’s not a whole lot the administration can do before Jan. 20 that cannot readily be undone by the incoming administration,” said John Leshy, a law professor at the University of California-Hastings and former Interior solicitor in the Clinton administration. ...