President-elect Donald Trump will sign a “national energy emergency” when he takes office, including a specific executive order on oil production and exports from Alaska, where President Biden has moved to block drilling and oil exploration.
Mr. Trump will take office at noon and plans to issue nearly 100 executive actions on Day One.
He’ll also issue a memorandum on inflation to address the rising prices that have crippled consumers for nearly four years.
Advisors told reporters early Monday morning that Mr. Trump’s energy executive orders are justified by consumers who are suffering under needlessly high prices and overregulation of their stoves, dishwashers and other appliances.
His actions, aides said, will cut red tape and regulations that have slowed or blocked new energy production under Mr. Biden, who dedicated his sole term in office to eliminating America’s use of fossil fuels.
Mr. Trump will reverse new efficiency and energy standards on household appliances, his aides said.
“He’ll put an end to efforts to curtail consumer choice on the things that consumers use every single day, whether it be shower heads, whether it be gas stoves, whether it be dishwashers and the like,” one spokesman told reporters.
The aide did not provide details of the inflation memorandum or action on tariffs, which Mr. Trump has threatened to impose on several countries even though they threaten to raise U.S. prices.
The economy and inflation, along with illegal immigration, remain the most important issues Americans are facing, polls show.
Mr. Trump’s campaign was also anchored on a pledge to “Drill baby drill” if he returned to office. Mr. Trump promised to end the Biden administration’s pause on some liquid natural gas exports and to speed up permits for new oil and gas drilling.
Mr. Trump, aides said, will end Mr. Biden’s policies forcing the increase of electric vehicle production and sales.
“The rationale for this national energy emergency is that high costs of energy are unnecessary. They are by design. It is a cause of policy,” an aide said. “We can address that, but it has been punitive for the American people over the past four years, and something that we immediately need to rectify [for] our nation’s prosperity.”
In January, Mr. Biden moved to block new offshore drilling in most federal waters, including parts of Alaska. Mr. Trump is poised to undo that action.
Alaska’s energy production and location are key to the nation’s national security “and it’s a crucial place from which we could export LNG, not only to other parts of the United States but to our friends and allies in the Asia Pacific region,” a Trump aide said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.