After four years of derailment by the Biden administration, American energy needs a fresh start. President Donald Trump could not have articulated this sentiment more clearly, issuing an executive order for “Unleashing American Energy” on the first day of his second term. It’s evident that a window of opportunity for American energy has been opened and will be capitalized upon by the Trump administration.
The Biden administration essentially declared war on American energy, deploying foolish policies hindering energy development and production. Former President Joe Biden’s actions were blatantly directed at appealing to the out-of-touch environmental activists and the “green energy transition” without any consideration for the burdens these actions would place on the public.
One of Biden’s most direct attacks on domestic energy production was the moratorium he placed on liquefied natural gas exports in January 2024. The ban on LNG exports disrupted our ability to provide our allies with natural gas, weakening our commercial relationship with European countries as they tried to reduce their reliance on Russian gas.
Aside from blindsiding our allies, Biden also blindsided consumers here at home. In March 2024, Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency targeted everyday people with its tailpipe emissions rule, threatening consumer choice and our pocketbooks.
And when we thought it couldn’t get worse, in the final days of his presidency, Biden’s headline-grabbing executive orders for political gain targeted domestic energy production again. Multiple executive orders banned offshore oil and gas leases on over 625 million acres.
Now, Trump has an opportunity to reverse these harmful actions and restore American energy security — offering a sigh of relief to consumers across the nation. Trump and his administration, namely the Department of Energy, should continue to prioritize domestic energy as they work to combat the ill-advised decisions of Biden’s term.
One thing Trump and his administration could do to restore American energy and bring security to our country is prevent liberal groups from interfering with Trump’s agenda. Sadly, these misguided efforts are continuing to gain traction, even during an energy-ambitious Trump administration.
Back in 2023, the concept of a “climate superfund” came to light, allegedly offering to help communities adapt to the effects of climate change. To no surprise, these deep blue state-driven bills quickly turned against our American energy companies, unfairly targeting and placing disproportionate blame on them for a global problem that involves multiple sectors and international actors. In New York, for example, the bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul placed a $75 billion fee on domestic energy producers for past legally permitted activity.
These superfund laws will stifle innovation and investment in the energy sector, potentially hindering the development of cleaner technologies. Furthermore, these laws will lead to increased energy costs for consumers as companies pass on the financial burdens of litigation and compliance.
If those facts weren’t bad enough, these laws have loosely defined frameworks for what accounts for engaging with emissions and don’t require these emissions to originate in the state. With the possibility of additional states considering similar bills, including Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Oregon, Hawaii, Connecticut, and New Jersey, the threat to American energy has never been greater.
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Criticism and legal scrutiny of these laws are mounting. Twenty-two states recently joined forces to sue the state of New York, given the state’s overreach in passing this law. The climate superfund law is preempted by the federal Clean Air Act, which has oversight over climate policy.
Trump has already promised that in his first 100 days in office, he would get American energy back on track, but the escalation of these climate superfund laws in the states interferes with that objective. These climate superfund laws need to face defeat in order to help restore America’s energy dominance to keep costs affordable, and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.
Mike Conaway formerly represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.