An energy emergency declaration might be unprecedented, but it's designed to streamline permitting, weaken regulation and cut gas prices.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency to boost drilling and speed up pipeline construction should withstand court challenges but will not allow oil and gas producers to skirt all environmental laws,

On Monday, President Donald Trump opened his second term with an inaugural address declaring that America has a “national energy emergency.” Vowing to tap into the country’s vast oil and gas reserves, Trump dismisses the overwhelming majority of climate scientists who say burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that overheat the planet.