In his first 100 days, President Donald Trump shifted the government’s agenda to prioritize energy dominance to strengthen national security, while reducing or ending initiatives aimed at addressing climate change. 

Trump set his sights on boosting fossil fuel industries on day one, removing regulations and opening federal land to energy projects. The administration has since left many international climate discussions, including the United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement. A number of agencies acted to deliver on the president’s agenda, with the Environmental Protection Agency having announced it would also roll back and revisit several key climate regulations. 

Recommended Stories

• Lee Zeldin announces new EPA actions to tackle 'forever chemicals'
• US rig count up slightly amid oil market turbulence
• German company ends US offshore wind development, citing Trump policies

At the same time, Trump has moved to limit aid to renewable energy industries, most notably by pulling federal support for offshore wind. He’s also proposed sweeping tariffs that will have major consequences for the solar and automotive industries. 

Take a look at Trump’s first 100 days in the energy and climate sector: 

Putting the right guys in place 

Before Trump was sworn into office, he nominated three key figures to deliver on his energy dominance agenda as Cabinet members: former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to run the EPA, businessman Chris Wright to head up the Energy Department, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the Interior. 

All three individuals moved through their congressional confirmation hearings with ease, promising to support Trump’s agenda of lowering energy costs and rolling back environmental regulations imposed by the Obama and Biden administrations. 

In one of his first actions as president, Trump also created a National Energy Dominance Council, led by Burgum and Wright. He has directed the council to boost domestic energy production by offering support for fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. 

Since ascending to their Cabinet positions in late January and early February, Zeldin, Wright, and Burgum have offered their unwavering support for the president and have proven vital to pursuing his energy dominance agenda. 

They have tailored various agency actions and decisions in order to build upon executive orders signed by Trump on his first day in office, such as his declaration of a National Energy Emergency. Burgum and Wright have also publicly downplayed the risk of climate change in recent days, with both arguing that the greater concern is meeting energy security needs as the U.S. races against China to advance artificial intelligence.

Outside of his Cabinet, Trump has moved to put loyal individuals in leadership positions across the federal government, even at independent agencies. 

Earlier this month, the president asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Willie Phillips to step down from his seat as commissioner. Phillips, a Democrat, chaired the commission under President Joe Biden. With Phillip’s departure, Trump is poised to hand the commission’s majority back to Republicans.

Targeting solar and wind 

There has been growing uncertainty in the renewable energy sector.

Earlier this month, Trump announced steep tariffs on solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, on the grounds that they were acting as pass-throughs for China to oversupply the market. The administration imposed duties as high as 3,500%.

The Commerce Department stated that the tariffs are meant to increase production by domestic makers of solar products. U.S. solar developers, though, rely on imports to meet demand. BloombergNEF found that the U.S. imported nearly $12.9 billion worth of solar equipment from the four Asian countries last year, roughly 77% of all U.S. module imports. 

In addition, the wind energy industry has had a challenging time during the Trump administration. 

Trump has been a strong opponent of wind energy, specifically offshore wind. He has claimed that wind turbines harm birds and whales. Trump signed an order freezing lease sales and permit approvals for both onshore and offshore wind. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency also revoked the air permit for a 1.5-gigawatt wind project in New Jersey. 

The administration took a step further earlier this month by pausing ongoing construction of the Empire Wind Project in New York to review previously approved permits. The administration argued that the Biden administration rushed through the project’s approval process, and now it must be reviewed. 

The administration’s action had a chilling effect on green energy investors, raising concerns about the reliability of the U.S. renewable energy industry. 

Shortly after the announcement of the construction pause, German energy company RWE announced it would stop its offshore wind activities in the U.S. due to the administration’s efforts to oppose the industry.

Ditching leadership role in global climate talks

As promised on the campaign trail, Trump once again withdrew the U.S. from the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement on his first day in office. 

This was just the first step of the administration’s swift withdrawal from nearly all international climate-related discussions since. 

Trump pulled scientists from attending the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s February meeting in Hangzhou, China, withdrew the U.S. from the Just Energy Transition Partnership, and ended the U.S.’s involvement with the UN’s climate damage fund. 

Climate activists have warned that the U.S.’s departure from international climate negotiations and policy discussions will likely result in China ascending to a leadership position during global talks. 

Backing oil and gas

With a campaign tagline of “Drill, Baby, Drill,” many of the president’s first energy-related actions have offered more support for the oil and natural gas industries in the U.S. 

As part of his day one executive order aimed at “unleashing American Energy,” Trump ordered the restart of liquefied natural gas export project reviews “as expeditiously as possible.” New reviews had been paused one year prior under the Biden administration in order to conduct a study on the environmental and economic impacts of LNG exports. 

The same day, Trump signed an executive order focused on unleashing the possibility for expanded drilling in Alaska and offering support for new projects exporting LNG from the state. 

Additionally, Trump signed an order rescinding 78 executive orders and actions issued by the former administration, including protections for federal waters that bar future drilling operations in more than 625 million acres of federal water.

Since then, support for oil and gas has continued to flow from the White House as Trump has moved to overhaul the environmental permitting process in order to get new projects approved and operating much quicker. Earlier this month, the president signed a memorandum calling on all federal agencies to bolster their use of technology with environmental reviews to reduce the time it takes to permit energy and infrastructure projects. 

Backing has also come from Trump’s Cabinet, as the Department of Energy has continued to approve federal loans and extend operating permits for LNG-related projects. 

While Trump’s public support for the fossil fuel industry has not wavered, some of his policies have caused uncertainty throughout the global markets. 

At the start of April, the announcement of his sweeping global tariffs sent international and domestic oil costs plummeting, with prices hitting below $60 per barrel at one point. Analysts and producers have warned that if prices stay below certain levels (between $60 and $65 per barrel depending on the basin) it could make it difficult for developers to pursue profitable new drilling. 

‘Big, beautiful coal’ 

Trump has renewed projects that began in his first term, such as his promise to revive the coal industry. 

In early April, Trump signed an executive order seeking to bolster coal power plants and mining. This followed a March order authorizing his administration to produce energy with “beautiful, clean coal.”

As part of the order, the president directed the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a “mineral” in order to make projects eligible for subsidies and streamlined reviews. He also ordered relevant agencies to prioritize leasing for coal mining on federal lands, ended Obama-era coal leasing moratoriums, and ordered the Council on Environmental Quality to adopt coal-related categorical exclusions to permitting processes.

Trump also moved to require all agencies to remove any agency policies aimed at transitioning away from coal production and called on Wright to determine if coal used in steel production can be classified as a critical material and critical mineral. 

Boosting critical minerals 

The Trump administration has focused on promoting domestic mineral production to reduce reliance on foreign entities, particularly China. 

In March, Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to boost domestic mineral production capacity by providing finance, loans, and investment for new projects. Critical minerals are used for emerging technologies in the defense and energy sectors. Uranium, for example, can be used as fuel in nuclear plants and weapons.

The Trump administration has also sought to make a deal with Ukraine to allow the U.S. to access its mineral reserves. The deal would have given the U.S. a financial stake in the country, but a final agreement has yet to be reached on this front. 

Last week, Trump signed an executive order to fast-track the exploration and permitting process for critical minerals from the ocean floor. Polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor contain a range of minerals, such as copper and nickel. 

The U.S. relies heavily on China for its critical minerals and rare earth elements, but the administration has attempted to lean away from the supply chain.

However, Trump’s sweeping tariffs have prompted China to pause exports of critical minerals to the U.S. to counter the tax. China has halted its exports of critical minerals and magnets to create a new regulatory system that could limit supplies to U.S. companies. 

The war on electric vehicles

Since returning to the White House, Trump has set his sights on repealing initiatives that would help to boost the electric vehicle industry. Trump has claimed that the Biden administration’s policies to support the transition towards electric vehicles harmed domestic automakers, raised prices, and limited consumer choice. 

“We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.”

On day one, Trump signed an executive order to “eliminate the electric vehicle mandate.” The order ended the Biden administration’s goal to have 50% of all new car sales be EVs by 2030. 

The order was also aimed at a waiver for California, granted by Biden’s EPA, that sets stricter emission standards than the federal government and bans gas-powered vehicles. More than a dozen states follow California’s standards.  

The Trump administration has also suspended a federal funding program meant to fund nationwide charging stations and is seeking to cut the $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases issued through the Inflation Reduction Act through Congress. 

In addition to efforts to roll back the initiative for electric vehicles, Trump has issued sweeping tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts, which could lead to higher prices for components for gas-powered and electric vehicles.

Not much attention on nuclear

Trump himself has said little about nuclear energy since taking office. In fact, the phrase “nuclear energy” has only been mentioned in three of his more than 100 executive orders issued at this point in his presidency. The phrase “nuclear reactor” has only been mentioned in one.

None of these executive orders was focused solely on nuclear energy itself, but instead on the president’s overall agenda to unleash American energy dominance. 

When he has spoken to the press about nuclear power, most of the president’s remarks have been focused on nuclear weapons or shared economic priorities with nations like India. 

While nuclear energy might not be front of mind for the president, the industry has seen increased support from his cabinet. Wright has continued to issue federal funding for projects, such as the Palisades Nuclear Plant restart, and Burgum included nuclear energy projects in the Interior Department’s list of those eligible for fast-tracked emergency permits. 

Re-shaping federal protections of land and water 

The president has also moved to remove federal protections for national monuments on both land and sea, paving the way for new energy development and natural resource extraction. 

This month, Trump signed an executive order allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, which is home to many kinds of threatened, endangered, and depleted marine species. The president said that restrictions on commercial fishing in the region were disadvantageous to American fishermen. 

In a separate executive order, Trump indicated the administration may open up more marine national monuments to commercial fishing in a separate executive order. He has called on the secretaries of Commerce and Interior to review all existing monuments and offer recommendations on the matter.

LOSING AI RACE TO CHINA IS A BIGGER THREAT THAN GLOBAL WARMING, BURGUM SAYS

Days later, Interior Secretary Burgum confirmed his department was reviewing the boundaries of several national monuments. Reports previously indicated that the agency was specifically considering shrinking six in the Western U.S.: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, Ironwood Forest in southern Arizona, Chuckwalla in southern California, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico, and Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in southern Utah.

Sources told the Washington Post that the department was looking into whether the land belonging to these monuments has any potential for mining and oil production.