President Donald Trump is challenging former President Joe Biden’s radical left “climate” agenda by implementing a series of executive orders that aim to increase domestic fossil fuel energy production.
The series of orders also contain a declaration of an “energy emergency,” which should protect the administration from some, but not all, legal actions aimed at stopping new drilling and other energy-related production.
The breadth of the decisions may well be the most dramatic shift in U.S. energy policy since the response to the ban on oil exports from Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in 1973.
After being sworn into office, President Biden signed several executive orders, including rejoining the Paris Agreement, a nonbinding international accord aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Following that, his climate agenda unfolded through a series of regulatory actions over the past four years. The outlet added that these included new appliance efficiency standards, a halt on liquefied natural gas export permits, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) power plant regulations.
Trump’s “energy emergency” plan emphasizes support for mining critical minerals essential for national security, emergency approvals for energy resources on public lands, and streamlining the development of energy infrastructure. In a separate executive order, Trump outlined guidelines for the development of energy resources in Alaska.
Another order promotes exploration and production related to offshore drilling, reversing one of Biden’s last actions against fossil fuels. This order also cancels several executive orders related to climate that were put in place by Biden. Additionally, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.
Jeff Reynolds, senior editor for Restoration News, suggested that Trump’s sudden and clear rejection of Biden’s climate agenda might stem from hindsight. While Trump recognized the significance of energy and a supportive regulatory environment, Reynolds noted that he seemed more patient during his first term.
However, this patience changed after witnessing the extent to which the left would act once Biden took office.
“Now he knows where the bodies are buried, and he’s ready to take a meat axe to everything that got in his way the first time,” Reynolds told Just the News.
Trump’s flurry of pro-fossil fuel executive orders signals his commitment to fulfilling his “drill, baby drill” campaign promises. However, energy analyst David Blackmon, who shares his insights on his “Energy Absurdities” Substack, told Just the News that it’s unlikely the U.S. will see significant increases in production.
Robert Rapier, a chemical engineer and editor-in-chief of Shale Magazine, explained in a recent interview that low gas prices do not drive more production. Oil prices have been hovering around $70 per barrel since September, a level at which, according to Rapier, oil companies are unlikely to invest in increasing production.
Although prices have risen above $70 per barrel since New Year’s Day, they will need to remain at those levels for an extended period before producers consider scaling up output. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts only a slight increase in production above consumption, with prices expected to stay lower through 2026.
Another obstacle to implementing Trump’s “energy emergency” is the wave of anticipated lawsuits from environmental groups, which have substantial resources to challenge the orders. Organizations like EarthJustice, whose motto is “Earth needs a good lawyer,” have already issued statements denouncing Trump’s executive actions.
Blackmon said that what will likely happen under Trump is investments in infrastructure.
“I don’t think we’re going to see a big drilling boom. I think it’s going to be more of a ‘build, baby build’ boom. We need a significant amount of additional natural gas pipeline capacity, including new LNG export facilities and the infrastructure that supplies them,” Blackmon told Just the News.
