In the spirit of the season, the Washington Examiner has identified 12 issues we believe will shape and influence 2025 — and beyond. The incoming Trump administration has made the fight against illegal immigration and the use of tariffs its flagship policy items. The U.S. will also possibly undergo a health revolution, while very real questions need to be answered on everything from Social Security reform to the military to the changing landscape of the energy sector. Part 11 will deal with the changing landscape of the energy sector.Leading off promises to “Drill, baby, Drill,” a new Trump administration is ushering in a wave of policies within the domestic energy industry, breaking away from the current focus on renewables.As the United States looks to lead in the races for artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and critical minerals, it faces a clear issue of harnessing enough energy to remain on top. Politicians, tech giants, local governments, and more across the aisle are in agreement that the U.S. needs more power on the grid as demand continues to soar. For many within the industry, this immediate need for power to support technological advancements, national security, and everyday life will result in pulling energy from all sorts of sources. WHAT TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO DO ON DAY 1 IN THE OVAL OFFICEThe idea of an “all of the above” strategy has been around for decades, with some tracing its connection to energy back to a 2000 House floor speech from then-Republican New York Rep. Benjamin Gilman. “We need to be exploring alternative energy sources, the use of coal, the use of hydroelectric power, of biomass, geothermal, photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind, utilizing ethanol, creating a system of electric reliability, increasing the exploration and supply of natural gas, and retrofitting or building cost-efficient oil refineries,” Gilman said at the time. More than 24 years later, this concept has primarily remained unchanged, with both Republicans and Democrats embracing the phrase to push further acceptance of renewables or fossil fuels, depending on their agenda. Many Republicans have recently touted the “all of the above” strategy as the primary way to deliver on the president-elect’s objectives of establishing energy security and dominance in the U.S. TRUMP CAN AXE ENTRENCHED DEI FRAMEWORKS HIS FIRST WEEK BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSEHowever, those closer to the Trump camp have indicated the incoming administration will be less focused on embracing all sources and more on historically reliable energy sources such as oil and natural gas. “The MAGA agenda has moved past ‘all of the above.’ We know what works is fossil fuels,” Steve Milloy, a senior legal fellow with the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and former Trump EPA transition team member, told the Washington Examiner. Milloy noted that while there may be some “room” for nuclear within the president-elect’s agenda, he has long detest
Lun. Gen 6th, 2025
