After four years of big climate investments, clean energy subsidies and recognition of climate change from the federal government, massive change is coming as incoming President Donald Trump and his administration prepare a complete 180 on many key policies.Trump signaled his support for fossil fuels on the campaign trail with his “Drill, baby, drill” rallying cry.“We will get Pennsylvania energy workers fracking, drilling, pumping and producing like they have never produced before,” Trump told a cheering crowd at a rally this fall.Trump has endorsed an “all of the above” approach to energy — a slogan that refers to the expansion of fossil fuels in addition to renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal. In mid-December, Trump expanded on his approach to domestic energy production.Trump is skeptical of new energy sources North Carolina is counting on, like offshore wind. He’s talked of favoring energy sources that the state is moving away from, like coal.“We’ll soon unleash American energy, and this will be done at levels not seen before, issuing quick approvals for pipelines, drilling and other infrastructure,” Trump said. “We’re also going to create clean coal.”Burning coal emits planet-warming carbon dioxide. Clean coal refers to coal plants that capture and store some of that carbon pollution before it enters the atmosphere.But some advocates and businesses are still hopeful that North Carolina’s own targets and investments already underway will keep the state on track to meet its long-term carbon pollution reduction goals.Skeptical administrationTrump has selected fracking company Liberty Energy’s CEO Chris Wright as his energy secretary. Wright expressed his doubts about climate change during a speech at the American Legislative Exchange Council in October:“Climate change might not be exactly what you think it is. It’s a real thing, but it’s actually, sort of, a slow-moving — in our lifetimes — relatively modest phenomenon,” Wright said.The United States has experienced 400 major weather and climate disasters since 1980, causing $2.8 trillion in damage. More than half that damage has been caused in the last 10 years. Wright is also skeptical of the idea that the U.S. is moving away from fossil fuels.“There is no energy transition going on,” Wright said. “This is just this crazy term. I wish it was true, man. I’m on the board of a small modular reactor nuclear company.”But a transition toward renewables and electrification has already begun. More people already work in solar than any other type of electric power generation, including wind energy, natural gas and nuclear. In 2022, over 9,000 people worked in North Carolina’s solar industry. Natural gas was the second largest employer among energy generators in the state, at roughly 2,800, though it provides the largest share of the state’s energy mix.During the campaign, Trump said he would repeal the 2022 Inflation Reductio
Gio. Gen 9th, 2025
