The Biden-Harris administration has constrained the U.S. energy industry in the mistaken belief that it is the source, rather than a solution, to the challenges of the twenty-first century. In contrast, a second Trump administration will pursue American energy dominance through energy growth (aptly captured under the popular phrase “drill baby drill”). The United States must restore a mindset of abundance, one in which American energy and innovation are unleashed to ensure economic prosperity, safeguard national security, and reinforce American leadership on the world stage. Energy dominance is a faithful echo of the American spirit.

The Error of Climate Catastrophism

The Biden-Harris National Security Strategy, however, portrays climate change as “the greatest existential threat of our time.” Their policy—a forced, government-mandated transition to renewable energy—aligns the United States with other governments willing to spend exorbitant sums of money pursuing the elusive net-zero solution. Yet despite estimated global spending ranging from $125 trillion to $275 trillion, fossil fuels will continue as the mainstay of the U.S. and global economy. For instance, in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2022, the share of fossil fuels as a share of U.S. energy consumption was 79 percent in 2021. By 2050, it will have only declined to 74 percent.

A changing climate is a reality but not an existential threat. A 2022 white paper by the Biden-Harris Council of Economic Advisors and the Office of Management and Budget concluded that Americans would be 1.71 times wealthier in twenty-five years without climate change effects on GDP but only 1.66 times wealthier when reflecting climate damages. The 2023 edition of this white paper projected that by 2050, the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio would be 111.2 percent under a net-zero emissions scenario and 112.6 percent under a high emissions scenario. Given that these reports fail to account for U.S. GDP growth, American innovations, or Biden’s progressive tax regime, it is fair to say that economic conditions are wildly conservative. A noted scientist and Obama administration official opined that these differences get lost “in the noise.”

Policies that discourage exploration, block energy infrastructure construction, and raise regulatory barriers are self-defeatist and construct a false choice of climate security vs. economic prosperity and national security. They undermine the U.S. energy sector’s ability to attract investment, maintain grid reliability, and provide affordable energy to everyday Americans and industries struggling to build a more secure global supply chain—free from Chinese dependence.

A Blueprint for Freedom

Energy dominance is not just about energy production; it is about ensuring America’s freedom—freedom from foreign energy dependence, freedom to pursue robust economic growth, and freedom to enact a foreign policy unencumbered by energy insecurities. Under a Trump administration, this principle will be revitalized, positioning the United States as an energy superpower with the strength to pursue its global interests confidently. Energy dominance reflects President Nixon’s “Project Independence” in the 1970s. The production surge and other initiatives that followed freed consumers from the whims of OPEC and the crippling effect of energy uncertainty, including inflation.

At its core, energy dominance rejects the Biden-Harris false premise that continuing our economic growth threatens humanity’s future. Instead, it embraces the compatibility of environmental safety and economic prosperity. In fact, according to the 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy, the United States has led the world in emissions reductions for the past fifteen years thanks to American natural gas. This is hardly the government’s doing. American industry operating and innovating in a free and competitive marketplace led the charge to emissions reductions. 

Conversely, government “leadership,” or rather intervention, in the form of renewable mandates, incentives, subsidies, and over-regulation, is the origin of our present crisis of grid reliability, energy insecurity, and dependence on China. The ultimate question is whether Americans desire a government that empowers industry innovation and growth or micromanages it.

Energy abundance underpins the U.S. economy, driving growth and innovation, creating jobs, and reducing inflation. It empowers America to stand firm against adversaries, supports allies with reliable energy exports, and reinforces American strength. In a world increasingly defined by the confrontation between the Free World and the China-Russia-Iran axis, American energy dominance establishes the United States in a position of confidence and capability needed to win this contest.

Revitalizing the American Energy Sector

The importance of a growth-oriented domestic energy policy cannot be overstated. Energy is the economy’s lifeblood, impacting household savings, corporate profitability, GDP growth, and job creation. Market disruptors, from Artificial Intelligence to advanced manufacturing, require prodigious amounts of affordable energy at the highest standard of reliability. A second Trump administration should focus on three key proposals to ensure America’s energy sector is primed for long-term success.

Reducing Industry Regulation

The first step must be removing unnecessary regulations that stifle industry and deter investment. By adopting a holistic approach to growth that considers Americans’ future needs and prosperity, Trump would create an environment where the energy sector rises to meet the ambitions of American entrepreneurs and families alike. Streamlining the permitting process would also increase innovation across the energy spectrum, from traditional energy sources to advanced nuclear reactors. Manufacturing capacity is just one of many examples that are inextricably linked to energy reliability and affordability, a point summed up in a recent Congressional Committee hearing. President Trump’s bold and essential solution is to declare a State of Emergency regarding America’s energy affordability and access crisis—dramatically increasing production, generation, and supply while also reversing the anti-growth policies of the Biden-Harris era. 

Strategic Pathways to Cleaner Energy

The Trump administration recognized the need for clean energy systems. Critically, however, it rejected the notion that this must come at the expense of economic growth and pursued an “all of the above” approach to energy. It outlined pathways to clean energy by supporting natural gas integration and generation and through accelerated and responsible deployment of nuclear power from micro- to large-scale reactors. These bipartisan solutions would not only reduce carbon emissions but also strengthen America’s energy infrastructure without playing into the hands of its adversaries.

Reducing Government Interference

To ensure that the U.S. remains globally competitive, it is essential to reorient federal departments and agencies. Today, nearly every federal department and agency has the potential to hinder energy production and infrastructure deployment—and they often do. It is critical to orient America’s public servants to serve the energy growth objectives of the American people and not the plans of a minority of activists bent on sacrificing American greatness at the altar of climate change. Reforms to federal lending practices embodied in the Department of Treasury, Development and Finance Corporation, and Export-Import Bank are critical. Even fundamental reforms such as overhauling the Foreign Commercial Service to champion all U.S. energy industries actively are essential. America’s public servants should never inadvertently serve Chinese economic interests.

Energy as a Strategic Tool

A robust foreign energy policy is crucial to maintaining U.S. economic strength, which in turn is the foundation of its military power. By ensuring an abundant supply of energy, a Trump administration would push global energy prices down through supply-side economics to undermine the economies of expansionist powers like Russia and Iran and confidently implement sanctions against adversaries like Iran and Venezuela without impacting the U.S. economy.

Tools to Secure Peace and Stability

A Trump administration would continue to use energy as a strategic tool for peace and prosperity—ensuring America’s allies are presented with reliable alternatives. Reinforced by new heights of energy production, this approach enables the tactical use of sanctions and tariffs rather than the flawed approach of liberally deploying sanctions while simultaneously undermining the economy that ensures their efficacy. A Trump administration could press Russia to end its aggression in Ukraine, Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions and state-sponsored terrorism, and Venezuela to curtail its dictatorial and oppressive regime. Energy dominance supports the effective use of economic tools that the United States can exert over adversaries, reducing their options and compelling them to negotiate.

Exit Restrictive International Agreements

A Trump administration, beyond exiting restrictive international agreements like the Paris Agreement, may also seek to exit the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It should regard any further agreements on the matter as treaties and submit them for congressional review and ratification—rather than circumventing the will of the American people as represented in Congress. This move would restore American sovereignty, allowing the United States to reform its global engagement within organizations like the International Energy Agency (IEA) or disassociate from organizations like the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Expand LNG Production and Export

Expanding LNG production and export would be a key priority under Trump. This strategy would give Europe an alternative to Russian gas and provide much-needed reliable energy in support of the economic growth of developing countries, particularly American partners in Southeast Asia. By expanding its position as the world’s leading LNG exporter, the United States can enhance its global influence while driving domestic economic growth.

Securing America’s Future Through Energy Dominance

America’s current trajectory—a continuation of defeatist energy policies informed by climate catastrophism—risks further undermining America’s economic stability and global influence. 

By embracing an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy, the United States can ensure that it remains a superpower capable of leading the world in both energy production and geopolitics. In this new era of sharply increased economic uncertainty and international tensions, energy dominance is not just a policy option for America but a necessity.

Rick Perry served as the fourteenth U.S. Secretary of Energy from 2017 to 2019 and the forty-seventh Governor of the State of Texas.

Samuel Buchan served as the Director of International Economic Policy at both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council, and as Senior Advisor to Secretaries of Energy Rick Perry and Dan Brouillette. He is a co-author of the book An America First Approach to National Security.

Dan Negrea served in the U.S. Department of State as a Senior Advisor in the Secretary’s Policy Planning Office and as the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs. He is the co-author of the book We Win They Lose. Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center.

Image: Evgenii Bakhchev / Shutterstock.com.