- Trump is planning executive orders aligned with his “energy dominance” agenda.
- His top priorities are expanding fossil fuel exports and drilling on federal lands and waters.
- Trump may hit roadblocks in Congress and the courts in trying to roll back climate rules.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to make a big push for fossil fuels on January 20 through a series of executive orders aimed at boosting US oil and gas production and rolling back the Biden administration’s climate rules.
On the first day of his second term, Trump could direct federal agencies to approve new terminals to export liquified natural gas (LNG) and start unwinding restrictions on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, several fossil fuel industry lobbying groups helping shape Trump’s energy agenda said.
“On day one, we’re excited about them lifting the LNG pause, which has been so damaging to the American LNG industry and our reliable trade partners overseas,” Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, told reporters at an event in Washington, DC on January 14. He added that many executive orders will instruct federal agencies to restore America’s focus on “energy dominance.”
Other targets include Biden-era regulations that encourage the shift to electric vehicles, including curbs on tailpipe pollution and a federal waiver allowing California to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Trump may also toss out Biden’s executive order from 2021 directing federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across their buildings, vehicles, and supply chains.
Trump campaigned on a promise to “drill, baby, drill” and “unleash Americans’ energy production,” even with the US already producing a record amount of oil and gas and being the world’s largest exporter. Industry executives, employees, and corporate political action committees donated more than $32 million to Trump’s campaign, data tracked by Open Secrets shows.
But many of the industry’s priorities can’t be accomplished with an executive order alone, either because Congress has to change laws or federal agencies have to undertake lengthy rulemaking processes. Attempts to roll back Biden’s climate rules will likely be challenged in court, as well.
“When he takes office, President Trump will make America energy dominant again, protect our energy jobs, and bring down the cost of living for working families,” Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump transition team, said.
Here’s what fossil fuel groups said could happen quickly in the new administration.
Greenlighting new gas terminals
Trump can direct the Energy Department to start approving new permits for LNG terminals immediately via executive order, said Kenny Stein, vice president for policy at the American Energy Alliance, a conservative group advising Trump’s energy agenda.
The move would end a temporary pause the Biden administration instituted in January 2024 so the Energy Department could study the impacts of more LNG exports on the economy, national security, and the climate crisis.
The API argued that the pause threatens global energy security and US competitiveness overseas and will cost jobs at home. In December, the Energy Department found that the US is already on track to double LNG exports to 2028 under approved projects, and continuing to approve new projects will increase greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate crisis.
Environmental groups are expected to challenge new LNG permits in court and could cite the Energy Department’s study.
Oil and gas leases on federal land and water
Trump has repeatedly promised to unwind limits that the Biden administration’s Interior Department placed on oil and gas drilling in areas like the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.
Trump is expected to direct the Interior Department to revise a five-year offshore leasing plan finalized by the Biden administration. The plan scheduled three auctions between 2024 and 2029 — a record low compared to the 47 sales proposed during Trump’s first term.
In Alaska, the president-elect also wants to further open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve to fossil fuel development.
Biden in 2023 approved ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow oil drilling project in the National Petroleum Reserve, but then made tens of millions of acres of the reserve off-limits to drilling to protect wildlife habitat.
During Trump’s first term, Congress also directed the Interior Department to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling for the first time. The Biden administration auctioned off 400,000 acres in January, the smallest amount allowed under the law, but it didn’t attract a bidder. An auction in the final weeks of the Trump administration also didn’t attract interest from any oil majors.
The state of Alaska sued the Biden administration over the sale, arguing that the area’s size and additional restrictions made oil drilling economically unviable. The Trump administration could potentially expand the sale.
Targeting EVs
Trump is also expected to direct the EPA and Transportation Department to start reviewing and rewriting regulations that encourage the shift to electric vehicles.
“I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,” Trump said during a speech at the Republican National Convention in July. “Thereby saving the US auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now, and saving US customers thousands and thousands of dollars per car.”
There are no federal EV mandates, however. In March, the EPA finalized tailpipe pollution limits for cars, SUVs, and trucks sold between 2027 and 2032, which are the strictest to date. The Biden administration said this could boost electric vehicles to up to 56% of new car sales, while hybrids could account for about 13% of sales as automakers adjust production to meet the new standards.
Trump is likely to go after California’s recent move to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Under the Clean Air Act, the state can set more stringent limits on tailpipe pollution than the federal government as long as it’s granted a waiver from the EPA. The agency in December greenlighted California’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, which the Trump administration is expected to revoke — similar to a fight with California over the waiver in his first term.
That would likely set up a legal fight with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has moved to “Trump-proof” the state and vowed to defend the state’s EV and climate policies.
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