Op-Ed: Daniel Turner: Three immediate ways for the National Energy Council to restore American energy dominance
Energy was on the ballot this election, and energy won. So did the American people.
President-elect Donald Trump’s “big three” energy picks at the Department of Interior (DOI) with Doug Burgum, at the Department of Energy (DOE) with Chris Wright, and at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with Lee Zeldin, combined with the creation of a National Energy Council, have America poised for not only an energy renaissance, but for a return to the dominance of his first administration.
The announcements are in line with the voices of voters, who spoke with a loud voice against high prices for food and goods, which have been exacerbated by Biden-era policies aimed at curtailing traditional energy.
When the Energy Council convenes in January, there are three immediate actions to increase productions and to reduce prices.
1. Restoring regular order to pre-production
Long before energy is sold at market, hurdles in financing, compliance, and the law abound. Many of these burdens are at the Cabinet level since the Biden-Harris administration could not get such onerous rules through Congress, meaning they can be overturned at the agency level on day one.
Take Gary Gensler, the Biden Securities and Exchange (SEC) Commissioner, who used his agency to advance a green agenda through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies that prioritize progressive values over shareholder benefits. Suddenly, financing a fossil fuel project required “carbon offsetting” to move forward.
It’s no wonder that federal leases for oil production sunk to 80-year lows on Biden’s watch.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland cited “indigenous knowledge” as her rationale for thwarting the federally-mandate land leases. Her replacement, Burgum, was the first to sue DOI.
That Burgum, the North Dakota governor, is Haaland’s replacement is poetic justice. No industry can operate without clear order and rule of law, and Biden’s cabinet shielded themselves with cultural sensitivities. Regular order, especially in land and offshore lease sales, will restore stability to the industry, and with stability will come lower prices.
2. Easing means of production
Overturning the Keystone XL pipeline was one of Biden’s first executive actions, and it began a wave of pipeline activity. Environmental activists from Michigan to Minnesota to Louisiana and across New England fought pipeline construction, knowing that if oil and gas cannot be transported via a safe, efficient, and inexpensive pipelines, the entire industry will suffer.
Sen. Joe Manchin (I., W.Va.) cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022 that was a thinly-disguised green giveaway. To win his vote, Democrats craftily included approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline through West Virginia. Manchin had fought hard for this pipeline, and knew he was risking his political career to get it. He was right about the end of his political career and he was forced to retire, but the deal with the devil was done. Despite a costly piece of legislation, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is now operational.
Pipelines are only one production issue weaponized to hurt the energy industry. Transportation and shipping, LNG ports, coal trains, and ports for overseas sales: they are all essential for the industry to thrive, and all need immediate attention from the Energy Council.
3. Cut post-production mandates and red tape
Despite the warm handshake and roaring fire at the meeting between Presidents Biden and Donald Trump, the ingrained bureaucracy will not be so genteel in the transition. Take for example the EPA’s new methane tax. Outgoing EPA Administrator Michael Regan claims this is part of the IRA, yet the details were finalized only once the White House and Senate were settled.
That seems more than coincidental. It also invites objective scrutiny: how serious can methane really be if it took two years for the regulations to be finalized?
The methane tax is a natural gas tax, and the American people will foot the bill with higher utility bills. One day one, the Trump-led EPA should halt these regulations, and the new Congress should repeal this tax. A day one priority of the new Trump EPA is halting these regulations. The Republican Congress should repeal this tax and protect the American people from yet another unnecessary, expensive tax from big government.
A final post-production priority for the Energy Council is revoking all punitive measures against fossil fuel products. Attacks on gas stoves, hot water heaters, generators, and other natural gas appliances, plus the electric vehicle mandates must be on the chopping block. They are examples of big government overreach at its absolute worst.
The Energy Council will bring together the right minds to address the pressing challenges, and this is great news for America. When the country is energy dominant again, good things will happen: prices will come down, the economy will grow, credit card debt will drop, savings will increase, our adversaries will grow poorer, and the world will stabilize. Energy was on the ballot this election, and energy won. So did the American people.
Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF.
