OPINION:
Less than a month into his second term, on Feb. 14, President Trump declared in an executive order, “It shall be the policy of my Administration to make America energy dominant.”
To help ensure that this key policy is put into place as quickly as possible, Mr. Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council. Led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the council includes an all-star panel of administration officials, such as Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Foremost, the council is tasked with advising “the President on how best to exercise his authority to produce more energy to make America energy dominant.”In order to achieve this monumental undertaking, the council will focus upon “improving the processes for permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, and export of all forms of American energy, including critical minerals.” Concurrently, it will identify “longstanding, but unnecessary, regulation” and “red tape” to be cut.
The council is also tasked with presenting a “plan to raise awareness on a national level of matters related to energy dominance, such as the urgency of reliable energy; the improvements in technology achieved through reliable energy sources; the national security concerns with removing reliable and affordable energy sources; the jobs supported by the energy sector; and the regulatory constraints driving up the cost of reliable energy to consumers.”
Although this may seem like a secondary concern in the fight to realize American energy dominance, it is vital to sustaining all the wins being achieved during Trump’s second term.
Don’t forget, Mr. Trump racked up some fantastic energy policy victories during his first term. However, much of it was undone by the Biden administration.
Under President Joe Biden, Americans suffered sky-high energy bills. Gasoline prices spiked. Mr. Biden’s flurry of pro-green energy executive orders, coupled with those intended to stifle the production of fossil fuels, created a tenuous situation that could have jeopardized the integrity and stability of the U.S. electric grid.
Fortunately, this actual crisis has been averted, at least temporarily.
In his second term, it seems Mr. Trump really has his eye on the prize: worldwide energy dominance.
While it’s true that Mr. Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda helped the United States become a net energy exporter for the first time in 75 years during his first term, he was unable to reach large energy deals with some of our closest allies and biggest trading partners.
Trump 2.0 has made global energy dominance a priority. So far, in a little more than six months, he has secured several energy mega-deals. Most recently, the European Union agreed to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy.
On the policy side of things, the council seems to be making huge strides. So far, a large portion of Mr. Biden’s Green New Deal scam has been dismantled. Just last week, the EPA announced that it intends to rescind President Barack Obama’s environmental regulatory crown jewel: the Endangerment Finding.
To be sure, this is all great news. These actions will make the grid more stable, will keep energy prices low and will protect Americans’ freedom to choose which type of appliance or vehicle they can buy.
However, it must be stressed that these things are not everlasting. They can be reversed by a future president who buys into the climate- change-is-an-existential-crisis con job.
As such, it is especially important to emphasize the need to raise awareness about the sheer totality of what is at stake in this pivotal moment in American history.
Like a fork in the road, we have two options: the path of climate alarmism or climate realism.
The climate alarmist path is paved with folly: energy shortages, reduced living standards, less freedom and American capitulation in the artificial intelligence arms race.
On the other hand, the path of climate realism is paved with prosperity, opportunity, choice, common sense and American strength. As we trek further down the climate realism road, it will be more difficult to double back. But that does not mean it cannot happen.
Make no mistake: President Trump has the United States on the fast track to energy dominance, which I argue is a nearly universal good for the world. This puts bad guys like Vladimir Putin on his heels. It helps guarantee that America wins the battle for AI supremacy. It creates well-paying jobs. Best of all, it makes life better for hard-working Americans.
• Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.
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