President Trump Establishes National Energy Dominance Council

On February 14, President Trump signed an Executive Order “Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council”   within the Executive Office of the President.  The Council, Chaired by the Secretary of the Interior, with the Secretary of Energy serving as Vice Chair, has been given the mandate to advise the President on a range of items on how best to produce more energy to make the country energy dominant, and to improve processes for permitting, production, generation, transportation, and export of all forms of American energy, including critical minerals. 

Additional members of the Council include the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Attorney General, and other officials.   

The Order’s Section 1 articulates that “(w)e must expand all forms of reliable and affordable energy production to drive down inflation, grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, reestablish American leadership in manufacturing, lead the world in artificial intelligence, and restore peace through strength by wielding our commercial and diplomatic levers to end wars across the world.”  Recognizing the national security implications of energy production, the Order designates the Secretary of the Interior, as Chair of the Council, as a standing member of the National Security Council.   

Section 1 goes on to state that by using our national assets, we will reduce our dependence on foreign imports and grow the economy, thus enabling the reduction of our deficits and debt.   

The responsibility of the Council includes providing the President a recommended National Energy Dominance Strategy to produce more energy.  That Strategy should include long-range goals to achieve energy dominance by focusing on innovation, enhancing private sector investments across the energy-producing economy, cutting red tape, and seeking to eliminate longstanding, but unnecessary, regulation. 

Within 100 days of issuance of the Order, the Council is directed to recommend to the President a plan to raise awareness on a national level of matters related to energy dominance, including “the urgency of reliable energy;” improvements in technology achieved through reliable energy sources; national security concerns with removing reliable and affordable energy sources; jobs supported by the energy sector; and regulatory constraints that drive up costs of reliable energy to consumers.   

Also within the 100 day timeframe, the Council is to advise the President regarding actions that each agency can take under existing authorities to prioritize increasing energy production, including “rapidly and significantly” increasing electricity capacity; facilitating approvals for energy infrastructure; approving construction of natural gas pipelines to or in New England, California, Alaska, and other parts of the country that are underserved by American natural gas; facilitating the reopening of closed power plants; and bringing Small Modular Nuclear Reactors online.   

Further, the Council is to provide the President a review of markets most critical to power homes, cars, and factories with reliable, abundant, and affordable energy; to advise regarding incentives to attract and retain private sector energy-production investments; to advise on identifying and ending practices that raise the cost of energy; and to consult with officials from State, local, and Tribal governments and individuals from the private sector on how best to expand “all forms of energy production.”     

Coupled with earlier Executive Orders signed by President Trump, with this Order, the current  administration is well on its way in laying the groundwork for a future where energy abundance can become a reality.  Americans for Prosperity applauds President Trump’s actions in this Executive Order and anticipates a bright future for energy production in this country.