Trump nominees plan quick U.S. energy revival

A trio of Trump nominees plan to jumpstart the nation’s energy production and reverse a slate of Biden-era policies aimed at eliminating fossil fuels.

Energy advocates are thrilled with Mr. Trump’s decision to appoint Chris Wright to run the Energy Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to head the Department of the Interior and former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Climate groups, meanwhile, are preparing a slew of lawsuits challenging the expected reversal of Biden’s green energy policies.

If confirmed, the three appointees plan to work in tandem to fulfill a top Trump campaign promise: Restoring and expanding production of oil and natural gas, which Mr. Trump calls “liquid gold,” curtailed in some areas under the Biden administration’s crackdown on fossil fuels and promotion of so-called green energy.

“President Donald J. Trump will work with the Senate GOP and House GOP on day one to lower costs, starting by getting energy prices under control. We will unleash U.S. energy production, slash regulation, and drill baby drill!” Said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma Republican.

Mr. Burgum will be tasked with increasing permits for oil and gas production on federal lands and waters, while Mr. Zeldin, who served in the House for four terms and ran unsuccessfully for New York governor in 2022, will be in charge of ending the EPA’s new emissions caps for power plants that would have eliminated coal plants and significantly restricted output from natural gas plants.

Look to Mr. Zeldin to also repeal the EPA’s new tailpipe emissions standard that would force much of the nation’s new vehicle fleet to go electric by 2030.

Mr. Wright, a fracking company CEO and industry pioneer, will end the Biden administration’s ban on some LNG exports and will use his office to promote abundant, affordable energy in the face of alarmism about climate change, say industry insiders.

Mr. Trump’s appointments “are a clear signal that President Trump wants to return to his energy governance agenda that was so successful the first term,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, an oil and natural gas association.

Mr. Burgum, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2023 but dropped out and endorsed Mr. Trump, will also head a newly formed Council of National Energy that the president-elect said will cut red tape, enhance private sector investments and support innovation in the energy sector. Mr. Wright will also serve on the new council.

“It’s going to be the whole-of-government approach that the Biden administration started, but they’re flipping the script from a focus on climate to a focus on energy dominance,” said Frank Moisano, senior principal at the energy lobbying shop Bracewell.

Mr. Trump’s energy appointments have leveled a devastating blow to anti-fossil fuel groups who believe the nation must switch entirely to renewables in order to stave off climate change.

Environmental groups have played a key role in pushing the Biden administration to implement a goal of “net zero” emissions by no later than 2050.

While Mr. Biden took numerous actions to reduce the use of fossil fuels, production of oil and gas actually increased during his administration. Oil production on public lands increased by more than half a million barrels per day.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said earlier this year that the nation is producing more oil annually than any other country in history.

Still, many of Mr. Biden’s major policies aimed at cutting the nation’s fossil fuel use are now about to be reversed, and environmental groups are gearing up for the fight.

“We sued Trump 266 times during his first administration. Trump 2.0 can expect more of the same from us,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.

The National Resources Defense Council criticized Mr. Burgum’s “close ties” to the oil and natural gas industry, and officials with the group said they would “hold the administration to account” for protecting federal land and water from the dangers of drilling. The NRDC filed more than 100 lawsuits against the first Trump administration.

Anti-fossil fuel groups attacked Mr. Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, over his views contradicting the so-called climate crisis and the need to transition to renewables.

“My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure. Energy is the lifeblood that makes everything in life possible. Energy matters. I am looking forward to getting to work,” Mr. Wright said.

Mr. Trump’s energy team will take office as the power-plant rule and other Biden administration policies governing emissions churn through the courts under various lawsuits.

The incoming Trump administration will likely drop efforts to bat down those lawsuits, which will send the contested rules back to the EPA, where Mr. Zeldin will revise or repeal them.

Coal plants, which provide more than 16% of the nation’s energy, were headed for shutdowns under the Biden administration’s emissions caps, but many are now likely to remain open longer under the Trump administration, said Michelle Bloodworth, president of America’s Power, a coal plant trade association. Coal plans will be needed to meet an increased demand for energy due to the growing use of data centers, she said.

Ms. Bloodworth made the prediction, reported by Utility Dive, to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ annual meeting.

Natural gas and nuclear power will be the primary focus of Mr. Trump’s energy policy, diverting away from Mr. Biden’s focus on wind, solar and other renewables.

The increase in oil and natural gas production during the Biden administration is mostly thanks to permits awarded during Mr. Trump’s first term and an oil boom in New Mexico.

The Biden administration drastically reduced the number of new oil and gas permits and production would have eventually slowed down if Vice President Kamala Harris won the election and continued with Biden-era policies, analysts say.

“The amount of leases offered has been minuscule,” Ms. Sgamma said.

Industry experts say Congress will have to play a major role, alongside the appointees, in boosting the nation’s energy production. The law authorizing the Energy Department to halt LNG permits is antiquated and should be changed, Ms. Sgamma said.

“It’s been used politically, that power to issue an export license has been used to stop exports or delay them,” she said.

Some of Mr. Biden’s Green energy policies will be difficult to eliminate because they were signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Billions of dollars in grants and loans for Green energy projects have been distributed throughout the country since the law passed, including critical investments in manufacturing.

“It’s going to be hard to push back on some of these things that Republicans see in their districts as creating jobs, creating economic development, creating opportunity, especially for rural communities,” Mr. Moisano said.