ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 20, 2021
President Biden signed a series of executive orders from the Oval Office hours after his inauguration on Wednesday. By signing an executive order rejoining the Paris climate accord, Biden undoes the U.S. withdrawal ordered by Trump, who belittled the science behind climate efforts, loosened regulations on heat-trapping oil, gas and coal emissions, and spurred oil and gas leasing in pristine Arctic tundra and other wilderness. Biden also will use executive orders to start undoing other Trump climate rollbacks. He will order a temporary moratorium on new oil and gas leasing in what had been virgin Arctic wilderness, direct federal agencies to start looking at tougher mileage standards and other emission limits again, and revoke Trump’s approval for the Keystone XL oil and gas pipeline.