Trump's Fossil Fuel Agenda: Easing Environmental Restrictions

On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency and vowed to boost fossil fuel production and drill, baby, drill. Trump plans to open up more public lands for oil and gas extraction, ease regulatory processes, and increase fossil fuel production. He also intends to end land and water leasing for wind energy, and undo the Biden administration's actions that promote electric vehicles. Trump's actions will likely cause considerable harm to US efforts to address climate change.

Trump's plan to declare a 'national energy emergency'

On January 20, 2025, during his inauguration speech, Donald Trump announced his plan to declare a "national energy emergency," with the aim of boosting fossil fuel infrastructure and accelerating the development of oil, gas, and power projects. This declaration is part of a series of actions taken by Trump to promote fossil fuels and reverse the progress made by the Biden administration on climate change and clean energy initiatives.

Trump's plan to declare a national energy emergency involves several key components:

• Boosting Fossil Fuel Production: Trump intends to increase fossil fuel production, including oil and gas drilling, by opening up more public lands and waters for exploration and extraction. He plans to remove restrictions and speed up the approval process for natural gas pipelines and other fossil fuel projects.
• Rolling Back Environmental Protections: Trump is expected to take sweeping action to roll back environmental protections put in place by the Biden administration. This includes easing regulations on power plants, expediting the construction of new plants, and opening up federal lands for new data centers.
• Lowering Energy Costs: Trump believes that reducing regulations and increasing fossil fuel production will help lower energy costs for American consumers. He argues that high energy prices contribute to inflation and that his policies will address widespread frustrations with the cost of living.
• Opposing Clean Energy Policies: Trump has expressed strong opposition to renewable energy initiatives, claiming that they are unreliable and costly. He intends to end land and water leasing for wind energy projects and has pledged to repeal Biden's actions that promote electric vehicles.
• Withdrawing from International Agreements: Trump has announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, a move he also took during his first term. He may also withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, making it more difficult for the country to re-engage in global climate negotiations.
• Filling Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Trump plans to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure energy security, a pledge he was unable to fulfill during his first term.
• Promoting "Energy Dominance": Trump has emphasized "energy dominance" as a key component of his energy policy. He intends to increase US fossil fuel production and exert American energy dominance globally.

It is important to note that while Trump has significant policy levers to encourage fossil fuel production, the actual increase in oil and gas extraction will depend on the private sector and the economics of the industry. Additionally, some of Trump's plans, such as withdrawing from international agreements, may face legal challenges and require congressional support.

The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

On 1 June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, a global accord that implements the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Trump's decision was based on the belief that the agreement would “undermine” the US economy and put the country at a “permanent disadvantage".

The Paris Agreement was initially agreed to by 195 countries during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The main aim of the agreement is to prevent the increase in the global average temperature from rising more than 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, predominantly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the agreement, the US had committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. However, Trump stated that the US would “cease all implementation of the Paris Agreement”, including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and contributions to the Green Climate Fund.

Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement was backed by many Republicans but was strongly opposed by Democrats, environmentalists, religious organizations, business leaders, and scientists. A majority of Americans opposed the withdrawal. The withdrawal took effect on 4 November 2020, one day after the 2020 US presidential election, and the US formally rejoined the agreement when President Biden took office on 20 January 2021.

Boosting oil and gas production

Donald Trump has pledged to boost oil and gas production in the United States as part of his "energy dominance" agenda. This includes a focus on fossil fuels and a scaling back of renewable energy policies. Here are some of the ways in which Trump plans to achieve this:

Opening Up Federal Lands and Waters

Trump plans to open up more public lands and waters for fossil fuel exploration, development, and extraction. This includes federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Forest Service. These entities can issue oil and gas leases to fossil fuel companies, allowing them to extract resources from these areas. Trump could instruct these agencies to prioritize identifying suitable public lands for leasing.

Streamlining Permitting and Regulatory Processes

Trump aims to streamline permitting and review regulations that impose "undue burdens" on energy production. He intends to reduce red tape and speed up the approval process for oil and gas projects, including natural gas pipelines. This includes changes to drilling on public lands and faster permitting for power projects.

Opposing Clean Energy Policies

Trump has expressed strong opposition to renewable energy initiatives, claiming that they are unreliable and costly. He has criticized wind and solar energy, promising to halt offshore wind development, and has opposed electric vehicle subsidies and vehicle efficiency rules. He plans to repeal these policies to protect the traditional car market and support the fossil fuel industry.

Filling Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Trump intends to refill the strategic petroleum reserve to ensure energy security. He criticized President Biden's depletion of the reserve and plans to fill it to the top, exporting American energy worldwide.

Withdrawing from International Climate Agreements

Trump has pledged to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, as he did during his first term. He may also withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, making it more difficult for future administrations to rejoin climate agreements.

Removing red tape for fossil fuel companies

Donald Trump has pledged to remove "red tape" for fossil fuel companies, which involves a range of regulatory rollbacks and policy changes to streamline fossil fuel production. Firstly, this includes opening up more public lands and waters for fossil fuel exploration, development, and extraction. Trump plans to increase oil and gas leases on public lands, allowing companies to rent parcels of public land for resource extraction. He also intends to open up Alaska's natural resources for development, which has been a contentious issue between Republicans and Democrats.

Secondly, Trump aims to ease regulatory processes and speed up permitting for oil, gas, and power projects. This involves undoing Biden-era policies that paused permits for liquefied natural gas exports and expediting federal approvals for fossil fuel-related projects. Trump could use executive orders and work with Congress to rescind certain proposals and roll back regulations.

Additionally, Trump plans to end delays in federal drilling permits and leases on federal lands, including speeding up the approval of natural gas pipelines. These actions are intended to boost domestic production and reduce energy costs, with Trump claiming that aggressive drilling policies could reduce energy costs by 50%. However, the effectiveness of these policies in increasing fossil fuel production and reducing costs is uncertain, as actual upticks in oil and gas extraction will depend on decisions made by the private sector.

Trump's focus on removing red tape for fossil fuel companies marks a stark shift from the Biden administration's emphasis on transitioning to clean energy sources and addressing climate change.

Ending subsidies for clean energy

During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump pledged to end subsidies for clean energy investments. He called for "terminat [ing]” the funds allocated for subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA, passed under the Biden administration, is the largest climate-and-energy-related investment in US history, allocating an estimated $369 billion toward clean energy and renewable production, emissions reduction, and tax incentives for individuals and families to make energy-efficient improvements.

Trump has criticised these subsidies, claiming that renewable energy is unreliable and costly. He has described Biden’s electricity policies as “industry-killing, jobs-killing, pro-China and anti-American". Trump's stance on this issue ignores the role that burning fossil fuels has played in climate change, and could cause considerable harm to US efforts to address the issue.

Trump's efforts to end subsidies for clean energy may face legal challenges. Defunding the subsidies in the IRA would likely prompt legal challenges, and short of an actual repeal by Congress, may not be successful.

Frequently asked questions