Query: The EPA director under Obama said the Clean Power Initiative would have no effect on man-made CO2 emissions.

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Emissions trading <=SEP=> Emissions trading or cap and trade is a government-mandated , market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants . In contrast to command-and-control environmental regulations such as best available technology ( BAT ) standards and government subsidies , cap and trade ( CAT ) schemes are a type of flexible environmental regulation that allows organizations to decide how best to meet policy targets . Various countries , states and groups of companies have adopted such trading systems , notably for mitigating climate change .   A central authority ( usually a governmental body ) allocates or sells a limited number of permits to discharge specific quantities of a specific pollutant per time period . Polluters are required to hold permits in amount equal to their emissions . Polluters that want to increase their emissions must buy permits from others willing to sell them . Financial derivatives of permits can also be traded on secondary markets .   In theory , polluters who can reduce emissions most cheaply will do so , achieving the emission reduction at the lowest cost to society . Cap and trade is meant to provide the private sector with the flexibility required to reduce emissions while stimulating technological innovation and economic growth .   There are active trading programs in several air pollutants . For greenhouse gases , which cause climate change , permit units are often called carbon credits . The largest greenhouse gases trading program is the European Union Emission Trading Scheme , which trades primarily in European Union Allowances ( EUAs ) ; the Californian scheme trades in California Carbon Allowances , the New Zealand scheme in New Zealand Units and the Australian scheme in Australian Units . The United States has a national market to reduce acid rain and several regional markets in nitrogen oxides .

Environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration <=SEP=> The environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration represents a shift from the policy priorities and goals of his predecessor , Barack Obama . During the campaign Trump often described environmental regulations as an impediment to business . He promised to roll back many regulations and end a moratorium on the leasing of federal coal reserves .   Immediately upon his inauguration , the White House released an `` America First Energy Plan '' , which focused on fossil fuels and did not mention renewable energy . The plan would repeal many Obama policies including the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule , and limit the Environmental Protection Agency 's mission to protecting air and water quality . Within days of taking office he signed executive orders to approve two controversial pipelines and to require federal review of the Clean Water Rule and the Clean Power Plan . He also invited American manufacturers to suggest what regulations should be eliminated ; industry leaders submitted 168 comments , of which nearly half targeted Environmental Protection Agency rules . In March 2017 he released a proposed 2018 budget which would cut funding for the EPA by 31 % . In May 2017 Congress approved a budget for the balance of the 2017-18 year which cuts the EPA 's funding by 1 % and eliminates no jobs .   Trump 's appointments to key agencies dealing in energy and environmental policy reflected his commitment to deregulation , particularly of the fossil fuel industry . Several of his cabinet picks , such as Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy and Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency , were of people with a history of opposition to the agency they were named to head .

Climate change policy of the United States <=SEP=> Global climate change was first addressed in United States policy beginning in the early 1960s . The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) defines climate change as `` any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time . '' Essentially , climate change includes major changes in temperature , precipitation , or wind patterns , as well as other effects , that occur over several decades or longer . Climate change policy in the US has transformed rapidly over the past twenty years and is being developed at both the state and federal level . The politics of global warming and climate change have polarized certain political parties and other organizations . This article focuses on climate change policy within the United States , as well as exploring the positions of various parties and the influences on policy making and environmental justice repercussions .

Lisa P. Jackson <=SEP=> Lisa Perez Jackson ( born February 8 , 1962 ) is an American chemical engineer who served as the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) from 2009 to 2013 . In May 2013 , it was announced that Jackson would be joining Apple Inc. as their environmental director .   Born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Jackson is a graduate of Tulane University and Princeton University . She began working as a staff-level engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency in 1987 ; later moving to the EPA 's regional office in New York City , where she spent the majority of her 16-year EPA career . She joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2002 , working as the assistant commissioner of compliance and enforcement and as the assistant commissioner for land use management . In 2006 , New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine appointed Jackson the state 's Commissioner of Environmental Protection . Jackson also briefly served as Corzine 's Chief of Staff in late 2008 .   On December 15 , 2008 , the President-elect Barack Obama nominated Jackson as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency , she was confirmed by the Senate and took office on January 23 , 2009 . During her tenure , Jackson oversaw stricter fuel efficiency standards ; the EPA 's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ; authorized carbon dioxide as a public health threat , granting the EPA authority to set new regulations regarding CO2 emissions ; and laid out a failed plan to set stricter smog pollution limits by amending the National Ambient Air Quality Standards . In December 2012 , Jackson announced she would be stepping down as EPA Administrator , a move which took effect on February 15 , 2013 ; she was succeeded by Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe , who became Acting Administrator pending Senate confirmation of Gina McCarthy on July 18 , 2013 as a permanent successor .