President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly formulating executive orders designed to enhance American fossil fuel production and reverse his predecessor’s initiative to promote the use of electric vehicles in the U.S.
Following his inauguration next Monday, Trump is anticipated to direct agencies to commence the reversal of President Biden’s restrictions on offshore drilling and federal land, according to oil lobbyists.
Trump intends to advocate for the repeal of tailpipe pollution regulations, which he characterizes as a “EV mandate,” and to reinstate clearances for facilities that export U.S. natural gas.
According to industry lobbyists, Trump’s transition team has engaged in discussions regarding his intentions for a second term with certain members of the oil business. The plans are dynamic and subject to modification.
Trump is anticipated to enact numerous executive orders in his initial days in office, implementing significant alterations to U.S. policies regarding energy, immigration, education, and other fundamental aspects of American society.
The president-elect returned to the White House with a pro-oil message he referred to as “energy dominance.” He sent pro-fracking messaging to pivotal voters in gas-abundant Pennsylvania, and his disdain for Biden’s ideas promoting electric vehicles appeared to resonate in Michigan, the epicenter of the U.S. automotive sector.
Billionaire oil benefactors were enamored and contributed tens of millions of dollars to his re-election campaign. Trump is already commencing his initial effort to recompense them all.
To advance his goals, Trump will mandate significant alterations at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Energy and Interior.
Certain actions he undertakes will probably face legal challenges, and Trump may require Republican legislators to attempt to nullify Biden’s regulations via the Congressional Review Act.
According to oil lobbyists, one of Trump’s initial actions will be the establishment of a national energy council to supervise U.S. oil, natural gas, and electric power policy.
Trump has appointed his nominations for Interior Secretary, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary, oil executive Chris Wright, to assist in leading the council. Both individuals are undergoing Senate confirmation hearings this week.
The president-elect is anticipated to retract the U.S. from the Paris climate pact, as he did in his initial term, maybe by an executive order in the early days of his administration.
The United States rejoined the treaty under Biden in 2021.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration prohibited offshore drilling in 625 million acres off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska.
The White House stated that the action will safeguard coastal ecosystems and local economies reliant on fishing and tourism.
Trump intends to terminate the Energy Department’s procedural moratorium on the authorization of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, according to industry lobbyists.
In March, Biden’s EPA implemented rigorous regulations for tailpipe emissions, but also allowing the automotive industry additional time to transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles compared to the regulations established in 2023.
Trump is anticipated to instruct the EPA to implement actions to rescind the regulations.
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