API Hopes to 'Unleash American Energy' with Trump Win
The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Wednesday quickly welcomed Donald Trump’s re-election as president of the United States, while clean energy campaigners responded by saying momentum is on their side.
“We congratulate President Trump on his election victory. Energy was on the ballot, and voters sent a clear signal that they want choices, not mandates, and an all-of-the-above approach that harnesses our nation’s resources and builds on the successes of his first term”, API president and chief executive Mike Sommers said in a group statement.
“We look forward to working with the incoming administration and leaders in both parties to advance bipartisan solutions that unleash American energy as a driver of economic prosperity, environmental progress and stability around the world”, added the statement on the API’s website. The group lobbies for all segments of the oil and gas industry.
Sommers, however, acknowledged uncertainty about the fate of the industry regardless of which side of the political aisle.
“Yet even at the presidential campaign’s 11th hour, there are some unanswered questions about the natural gas and oil role in America’s future energy mix”, the API president wrote in an opinion piece on the DV Journal before election day. “Now is the time for clarity, not confusion”.
“Should Washington mandate which new cars and trucks Americans can drive – a reality under an EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] tailpipe regulation and new fuel economy standards?”, Sommers asked. “When will Washington fully end the ongoing permitting pause on liquefied natural gas export projects? If fracking is to be restricted as some have suggested – restricting American natural gas and oil production amid rising demand – where will they be produced instead?”
On the other hand, climate campaigners raised concerns Trump’s return would undo progress.
“Donald Trump was a disaster for climate progress during his first term, and everything he’s said and done since suggests he’s eager to do even more damage this time”, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said in a group statement.
In the statement Sierra Club recalled it had filed over 300 lawsuits against Trump’s previous administration and said it would continue to be a “force of nature”.
“This is a dark day, but despite this election result, momentum is on our side”, Jealous added. “The transition away from dirty fossil fuels to affordable clean energy is already underway.
“Trump can’t change the reality that an overwhelming majority of Americans want more clean energy, not more fossil fuels. Through investments in the Inflation Reduction Act we are creating millions of new clean energy jobs”.
“Clean energy is already cheaper in most cases than dirty fossil fuels, and wind and solar now generate more power in the US than coal”, Jealous claimed.
Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute (WRI), said, “There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead”.
“And you can count on a chorus of world leaders confirming that they won’t turn their back on climate and nature goals”, Lashof said in a statement on the WRI website.
“Donald Trump heading back to the White House won’t be a death knell to the clean energy transition that has rapidly picked up pace these last four years. Both Republican-led and Democratic-led states are seeing the benefits of wind, solar, and battery manufacturing and deployment thanks to the billions of dollars of investments unleashed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act”.
“Trump has every reason to build on transformations already underway. Electrifying buildings and transportation — including school buses — benefits rural and urban communities alike by cutting costs and improving efficiency”, Lashof added. “At the same time, America’s croplands, wetlands and forests desperately need more investments to protect them from intensifying wildfires, droughts and flooding”.
To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com
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