Trump team to revive fossil fuels, end Biden policies
By Susan Ferrechio THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Three Trump nominees plan to jump-start the nation’s energy production and reverse a slate of Bidenera policies aimed at eliminating fossil fuels.
Energy advocates are thrilled with Mr. Trump’s appointment of Chris Wright to run the Energy Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to head the Interior Department and former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Climate action groups, meanwhile, are preparing a slew of lawsuits to challenge the anticipated reversal of President Biden’s green energy policies.
The three appointees plan to work in tandem to fulfill a top Trump campaign promise: to restore and expand production of oil and natural gas, which Mr. Trump calls “liquid gold.” The Biden administration’s energy policies curtailed fossil fuel production in some areas.
“President Donald J. Trump will work with the Senate GOP and House GOP on day one to lower costs, starting by getting energy prices under control. We will unleash U.S. energy production, slash regulation, and drill baby drill!” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma Republican, said on social media.
Mr. Burgum will increase permits for oil and gas production on federal lands and waters. Mr. Zeldin, who served in the House for four terms and ran unsuccessfully for New York governor in 2022, will end the EPA’s new emissions caps for power plants, which would have eliminated coal plants and significantly
Expanding oil and natural gas production is President-elect Donald Trump’s goal, and he has appointed three people to work in tandem to fulfill it.
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Burgum
Wright
Zeldin
restricted output from natural gas plants.
Look to Mr. Zeldin to repeal the EPA’s tailpipe emissions standard that would force much of the nation’s new vehicle fleet to go electric by 2030.
Industry insiders say Mr. Wright, a fracking company CEO and industry pioneer, will end the Biden administration’s ban on some liquefied natural gas export permits and use his office to promote abundant, affordable energy in the face of alarmism about climate change.
Mr. Trump’s appointments “are a clear signal that President Trump wants to return to his energy governance agenda that was so successful the first term,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, an oil and natural gas association.
Mr. Burgum, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination but dropped out and endorsed Mr. Trump, will also head the National Energy Council. Mr. Trump said the newly formed agency will cut red tape, enhance private-sector investments and support innovation in the energy sector. Mr. Wright will also serve on the council.
“It’s going to be the whole-ofgovernment approach that the Biden administration started, but they’re flipping the script from a focus on climate to a focus on energy dominance,” said Frank Maisano, senior principal at the energy lobbying shop Bracewell.
Mr. Trump’s energy appointments have dealt a devastating blow to groups that say the nation must switch entirely to renewables to combat climate change.
Environmental groups have played a key role in pushing the Biden administration to implement a goal of “net zero” fossil fuel emissions by 2050.
Although Mr. Biden took numerous actions to reduce the use of fossil fuels, oil and gas production increased under his administration. Oil production on public lands increased by more than a half-million barrels per day.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said this year that the nation produces more oil annually than any other country in history.
Still, environmental groups are gearing up to fight for Mr. Biden’s policies to reduce the nation’s use of fossil fuels.
“We sued Trump 266 times during his first administration. Trump 2.0 can expect more of the same from us,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The National Resources Defense Council criticized Mr. Burgum’s “close ties” to the oil and natural gas industry. The group’s officials said they would “hold the administration to account” for protecting federal land and water from drilling dangers. The council filed more than 100 lawsuits against the first Trump administration.
Fossil fuel opponents attacked Mr. Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, for contradicting arguments about a climate crisis and the need to transition to renewables.
“My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable and secure. Energy is the lifeblood that makes everything in life possible. Energy matters. I am looking forward to getting to work,” Mr. Wright said.
Mr. Trump’s energy team will take office as the power plant rule and other Biden administration policies governing emissions are contested in the courts through various lawsuits.
His administration will likely drop efforts to bat down those lawsuits, sending the contested rules back to the EPA, where Mr. Zeldin will revise or repeal them.
Coal plants, which provide more than 16% of the nation’s energy, were headed for shutdowns under the Biden administration’s emissions caps. Many are now likely to remain open longer, said Michelle Bloodworth, president of America’s Power, a coal plant trade association. Coal plants will be needed to meet an increased demand for energy because of the growing use of data centers, she said at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ annual meeting.
Natural gas and nuclear power will be the primary focus of Mr. Trump’s energy policy, diverting away from Mr. Biden’s focus on wind, solar and other renewable sources.
The increase in oil and natural gas production during the Biden administration is primarily a result of permits awarded during Mr. Trump’s first term and an oil boom in New Mexico.
The Biden administration drastically reduced the number of new oil and gas permits. Analysts say production would have slowed if Vice President Kamala Harris won the election and continued Biden-era policies.
“The amount of leases offered has been minuscule,” Ms. Sgamma said.
Industry experts say Congress will have a significant role in boosting the nation’s energy production. Ms. Sgamma said the law authorizing the Energy Department to halt LNG permits is antiquated and should be changed.
“It’s been used politically, that power to issue an export license has been used to stop exports or delay them,” she said.
Some of Mr. Biden’s energy policies will be difficult to eliminate because they were signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has provided billions of dollars in grants and loans for projects throughout the country, including critical investments in manufacturing.
“It’s going to be hard to push back on some of these things that Republicans see in their districts as creating jobs, creating economic development, creating opportunity, especially for rural communities,” Mr. Maisano said.
