Trump Promotes Energy Abundance in the U.S. Through Executive Orders
On Monday, Donald Trump shook up the nation’s energy policies that have plagued America for decades with his signature.
“Climate extremism has fueled inflation and burdened businesses with excessive regulations,” he stated in one of his numerous executive orders. “We aim to implement policies that will unite our Nation, making it fair, safe, and prosperous again . . . the United States will restore common sense within the Federal Government and unlock the potential of the American people.”
The time of climate extremism has ended; we are now entering an era of energy realism.
In this context, Trump has officially declared an “energy emergency.”
Democrats might highlight America’s record energy production and be confused. However, as I write, the New England power grid is relying heavily on oil—approximately 30% of its energy generation—just to keep the lights on amid this dangerous cold snap.
We are inefficiently utilizing oil for electricity generation. It’s not only pricey but also polluting.
Unless absolutely necessary. And it is necessary, as the American power grid faces significant weaknesses, with over half the nation confronting severe energy shortfalls predicted for the next decade.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation reports that the U.S. is set to lose power generation equivalent to 60 Hoover Dams in the coming years due to plant closures, coinciding with a period of increasing power demand. This signals a genuine crisis.
Had it not become nearly illegal to construct natural gas pipelines or nuclear facilities in this country, New England could see some relief. Trump’s executive orders are crafted to tackle such issues.
Permitting procedures bog down infrastructure initiatives in bureaucratic red tape, often under the guise of climate or environmental concerns.
The wildfire situation in California serves as a prime example: the state’s resistance to forest management arises from the complex web of regulations that impede practical solutions.
Viable strategies for wildfire management struggle to survive amidst regulatory complexities.
This unpleasant reality has caught the attention of some California lawmakers, who have vowed to eliminate burdensome regulations to allow residents to rebuild their homes.
Furthermore, the federal government has excessively intervened in individuals’ daily lives, undermining the practical needs of citizens in its quest to “combat climate change.”
In another executive order comprising 3,400 words titled “Unleashing American Energy,” Trump dismantled the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate, a coercive strategy aimed at pressuring Americans into replacing their affordable internal-combustion vehicles with expensive electric alternatives.
Additionally, Trump eliminated the Biden Energy Department’s proposed gas appliance ban, yet another policy that unjustly targeted working families.
Trump’s orders also effectively curtailed the wind energy sector, denying it essential permits to operate on federal lands.
For years, wind energy has relied on subsidies that distort the energy market in the U.S.
As newly appointed Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly has noted, these subsidies incentivize companies to invest in unreliable renewable projects that seem low-cost, while discouraging the development of reliable energy sources that are crucial for maintaining the grid.
On his first day, President Trump quickly enacted a series of executive orders, including:
- Instruct DOJ to suspend enforcement of TikTok “divest-or-ban” law for 75 days
- Revoke 78 executive actions from the Biden administration
- Withdraw from the Paris climate agreement
- Terminate all federal cases and investigations against Trump supporters
- Lift protections for transgender service members
- Pardon about 1,500 individuals charged during the Jan. 6 events, including commuting six sentences
- Revise the refugee admission program to align more closely with American values and priorities
- Declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border
- Designation of drug cartels and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations
- Reverse several Biden immigration policies, including one that limits deportations to those responsible for serious crimes or national security threats
- Annul a policy from the Biden administration aiming to guide AI development
- Cancel a Biden-era initiative meant to enhance federal voter registration
- Rescind the 2021 Title IX rule that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in federally funded educational programs
- Reverse Biden’s recent removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism
- Mandate all federal employees to work in-office five days a week
- Implement a federal hiring freeze with exceptions for national security, public safety, and military positions
- Direct all government departments and agencies to address the cost-of-living crisis
- Restore free speech and prevent its censorship
- End the “political weaponization” of government against the previous administration’s opponents
- Establish 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada starting Feb. 1
- Revert Biden’s sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank
- Revoke Biden’s mandate stating that 50% of new cars sold by 2030 must be EVs
- Affirm the existence of only two biological sexes: male and female
- Eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within federal departments
- Establish a Department of Government Efficiency
- Enhance screening for visa applications from certain high-risk countries
- Reopen Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas exploration
- Instruct the attorney general, secretary of state, and secretary of homeland security to prioritize the prosecution of illegal immigrants who commit crimes
- Withdraw the U.S. from the Global Minimum Tax agreement
- Pause all U.S. foreign aid for 90 days
- Direct the attorney general to pursue the death penalty for the killing of law enforcement officers or capital crimes committed by illegal immigrants
- Mandate the secretaries of commerce and the interior to recommence efforts to reroute water from California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other state areas
- Withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization
- Task the Treasury Department with exploring the creation of an External Revenue Service
- Revoke security clearances for ex-national security adviser John Bolton and the 51 intelligence officials who labeled Hunter Biden’s laptop as an example of Russian disinformation.
- Label the border situation an “invasion” and order the attorney general and secretaries of state and homeland security to “take all necessary action to repel, repatriate, or expel any alien involved” in such actions
- Officially rename the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” and Alaska’s Mt. Denali to “Mt. McKinley”
Furthermore, these subsidies have inexorably pushed reliable power plants toward premature retirement, as they cannot compete with subsidized pricing.
The aftermath is a significant reliability crisis. During Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, New York City nearly lost all gas pressure in its pipeline system due to an unstable grid.
Repealing the substantial subsidies flowing into wind and solar through the Inflation Reduction Act will demand Congressional action, but Trump’s wind energy regulation is a promising start.
This should not be interpreted as a dismissal of climate change’s realities but rather as an urgent pause on unproductive policies that have failed to effectively address the problem.
Both the general public and major financial institutions recognize this shift. Many Americans place climate change low on their list of priorities, and several banks, including CitiGroup, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo, have recently exited the Net Zero Banking Alliance.
Trump’s actions echo the widely shared perspective of the populace and influential financial leaders: Vox populi, vox pecuniae, vox dei.
The definitive blow to climate extremism came with Trump’s long-awaited withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, a major touchstone for Western environmental advocates.
Leaving the accords is more symbolic than substantive, considering their minimal effect on real decarbonization efforts.
However, these agreements have clearly influenced European energy strategies, contributing to soaring energy costs and extensive deindustrialization as green initiatives turn the continent into a vast theme park celebrating its historical achievements.
With these executive measures, Trump is asserting his commitment to steering America away from its allies’ descent into regulated decline, boldly selecting a path toward energy-driven prosperity for the U.S.
Emmet Penney is a contributing editor at Compact Magazine and operates the Nuclear Barbarians Substack.
