As the developed world looks forward to a life free from fossil fuels, the future of energy in the United States holds its breath as a pro-drilling administration takes the reins yet again.
“Drill, Baby, Drill” was first used by former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele in 2008 during the Republican National Convention. The slogan saw continued use by the vice presidential nominee in 2008, Sarah Palin, and was even turned on its head by certain environmental groups with the phrases “Kill, Baby, Kill” and “Spill, Baby, Spill” to highlight environmental disasters.
This slogan is now the overarching theme of newly elected President of the United States Donald Trump’s plans for the American energy economy.
“America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth,” Trump said during his inauguration speech. “And we are going to use it.”
Climate activists and the Trump Administration have long been at odds over the continued production of oil and natural gas in the country. While many show concern about the industry’s impact on both human and environmental health, the United States’ reliance on petroleum resources has continued to grow. As of 2024, the United States remains the world’s largest producer of crude oil and petroleum sources make up 86 percent of its energy supply. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. oil production reached a record high in 2023, averaging 12.9 million barrels per day and surpassing the previous peak set in 2019.
Oil and natural gas are nonrenewable, meaning they can be depleted over time. Despite this fact, as well as the negative impacts of fossil fuels on Earth’s air and water, the stigma around the transition to renewable energy such as solar and wind power is still very prominent.
The Trump Administration embodies this mindset and has notoriously pushed anti-green policy, steering the country away from any long-term goals related to sustainable energy.
Environmental advocates have expressed concern over several of the Trump Administration’s energy production goals, particularly in light of a series of executive orders issued less than ten days after inauguration. In his inaugural address, the president proclaimed an “energy emergency,” which was soon followed by a corresponding executive order. According to Section One of Executive Order 14156: Declaring a National Energy Emergency, “the energy and critical minerals (‘energy’) identification, leasing, development, production, transportation, refining, and generation capacity of the United States are all far too inadequate to meet our Nation’s needs.”
The summary of the Order calls out foreign actors that have, according to the Administration, targeted domestic energy infrastructure and “weaponized” the country’s reliance on foreign industry. Further, the order vows to lower energy prices while simultaneously increasing the ratio of domestic to foreign energy production.
But what does that really mean?
Officials associated with the administration of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous other federal environmental agencies have been called upon to “identify planned or potential actions to facilitate the Nation’s energy supply that may be subject to emergency treatment pursuant to the regulations and nationwide permits.”
Beneath the bill’s formal language is an agenda to bypass formal guidelines to speed up energy production. It refers to the use of Nationwide Permits (NWPs) under these organizations and others administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to use emergency protocols intended to override certain regulations in the instance of an emergency.
USACE has authority over certain water-related permits, including dredging, filling, and construction in navigable waters. Emergency regulations allow for expedited approvals in urgent situations, such as national security concerns or energy supply disruptions. The implications of this rule are the use of emergency authorizations to fast-track projects that might otherwise face lengthy environmental review because these projects threaten our environmental, atmospheric, and marine health.
The declaration of an “emergency” caught significant attention in the media. Trump’s adversaries, including the advisors of many prominent environmental nonprofits and organizations in the country, have taken a strong opposition to his actions. Many have labeled the Trump-Vance energy “crisis” as invented and unwarranted. Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released a statement following the order:
[Trump] wants us to stop producing affordable clean energy and force dated and wasteful technology… If he truly wanted to help the American people, he would keep investing in the clean energy solutions that are putting our communities back to work and lowering our utility bills, not deepening our nation’s costly reliance on dirty and expensive fossil fuels.
Executive Order (EO) 14154: Unleashing American Energy and National Order (NO) 14153: Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential continue the Administration’s aggressive push for fossil fuel expansion. EO 14154 advocates for a broad review of policies that “burden the development of energy resources.” Meanwhile, NO 14153 specifically targets Alaska’s vast natural resources—targeting lands that have been a point of controversy in the state for years.
The aim of the Trump Administration is clear, to drill and extract from the land without relent, and according to the Administration, to “solidify the United States as a global energy leader long into the future.”
But many are wondering what the future looks like when limited attention is given to renewables and policy is focused on the mass extraction of substances that are disappearing. How will the country’s economy sustain itself when oil reserves are expected to run out in half a century and the task of discovering new ones may incur costs too large for any government to pursue?
The nation is split between those concerned about the burden of clean energy on their families and those worried about the long-term consequences of resource depletion. However, both Democratic and Republican representatives support the continued development of renewable energy, even if they do not advocate for the complete abandonment of fossil fuels.
Despite anxiety surrounding the situation, many clean energy representatives remain hopeful.
“No matter what Trump may say, the shift to clean energy is unstoppable,” said Gina McCarthy, President Biden’s former climate adviser. “Our country is not turning back.”
Sources:
Columbia Law School. “President Trump Announces Withdrawal from Paris Agreement | Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.” Columbia.edu, 2019, climate.law.columbia.edu/content/president-trump-announces-withdrawal-paris-agreement-0.
Gabbatiss, Josh. ““Drill, Baby, Drill”: The Surprising History of Donald Trump’s Fossil-Fuel Slogan.” Carbon Brief, 18 Mar. 2024, www.carbonbrief.org/drill-baby-drill-the-surprising-history-of-donald-trumps-fossil-fuel-slogan/.
The White House. “Declaring a National Energy Emergency – the White House.” The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/.
The White House. “Unleashing American Energy – the White House.” The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/.
“Sierra Club Reaction: Trump’s Absurd “Energy Emergency.”” Sierraclub.org, 20 Jan. 2025, www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/03/sierra-club-reaction-trump-s-absurd-energy-emergency. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
Trump, Donald. “The Inaugural Address – the White House.” The White House, 20 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/2025/01/the-inaugural-address/.
“Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential – the White House.” The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. “U.S. Energy Facts Explained.” Eia.gov, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 15 July 2024, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/.