Other Trump initiatives have gotten most of the headlines, but his moves to unleash American energy should prove, long term, to be among his most significant. I wrote about the executive orders that Trump signed on day one here. Now, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has followed up with a Secretarial Order that implements some of the President’s key initiatives. The order is titled, “Unleashing the Golden Era of American Energy Dominance.”
It has nine elements. I will highlight some of them:
1. Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction:
Great attention has been paid to the pursuing of a net-zero carbon future. Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security. They have also achieved precious little in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The fact is that energy matters, and we need more of it, not less. Going forward, the Department’s goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance.
The outright rejection of net zero fantasies is huge. For more on why net zero is a delusion, see this report.
We will resume exports of liquified natural gas to our allies:
3. Return to Regular Order on LNG Exports:
America is blessed with abundant energy resources – we are the world’s top oil and gas producer and a net energy exporter for the first time in decades. Our energy abundance is an asset, not a liability. On January 20, the Department resumed consideration of pending applications to export American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries without a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. in accordance with the Natural Gas Act. Proper consideration of LNG export applications is required by law and shall proceed accordingly.
The quality of home appliances has declined sharply as a result of government regulations. Most recently, liberals have tried to ban gas appliances. Thus:
4. Promote Affordability and Consumer Choice in Home Appliances:
A top priority of the Trump Administration is to ensure that American families can choose from a range of affordable home appliances and products. Therefore, the Department will initiate a comprehensive review of the DOE Appliance Standards Program. Any standards should include a cost-benefit analysis considering the upfront cost of purchasing new products and reflecting actual cost savings for American families. The Department will pursue a commonsense approach that does not regulate products that consumers value out of the market; instead, affordability and consumer choice will be our guiding light.
Watch for appliance prices to start dropping before long. Wright’s order also contains provisions that promote nuclear power and refill the strategic petroleum reserve, currently at its lowest level in 40 years. In the nick of time, the Trump administration will restore the reliability of our electrical grid:
8. Strengthen Grid Reliability and Security:
Fortifying America’s electric grid is critical to the reliable and secure delivery of electricity. Under President Trump’s Executive Order, “Declaring a National Energy Emergency,” the Department will identify and exercise all lawful authorities to strengthen the nation’s grid, including the backbone of the grid, our transmission system. This is an imperative as we consider current and anticipated load growth on our nation’s electric utilities. Moreover, after two decades of very slow demand growth, electricity demand is forecast to soar in the coming years. The Department will bring a renewed focus to growing baseload and dispatchable generation to reliably meet growing demand.
“Dispatchable” means reliable. Dispatchable energy sources are those that can be turned on and off at will. In energy lingo, natural gas, coal and nuclear are dispatchable. Wind and solar are not.
And finally, the Department of Energy intends to address the fact that for decades, it has been virtually impossible to get anything built in America:
9. Streamline Permitting and Identify Undue Burdens on American Energy:
A burdensome federal permitting process undermines America’s competitiveness and national security. Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Orders, the Department will prioritize more efficient permitting to enable private sector investments and build the energy infrastructure needed to make energy more affordable, reliable, and secure. To that end, the Department will identify and exercise its legal authorities to expedite the approval and construction of reliable energy infrastructure.
Terrible energy policies have wasted countless billions of dollars, destroyed immense amounts of wealth, and threatened America’s prosperity and competitiveness. We have a long way to go to turn this situation around, but the Trump administration is moving rapidly in the right direction.
As a bonus, here is Secretary Wright explaining, in two minutes, the futility of the Left’s war on fossil fuels:
BREAKING: America’s new Secretary of Energy just exposed the entire climate scam
“Media & politicians NEVER bothered to actually learn about climate change.”
$2 TRILLION to lower fossil fuel use by 2%
They’re not saving the planet—they’re robbing YOU
pic.twitter.com/9SmmT7oCKY— Marc Nixon (@MarcNixon24) February 5, 2025
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