Drilling, baby, drilling. That’s the rallying cry echoing through Washington as the Trump administration bulldozes environmental protections in favor of fossil fuel production. Your energy bills? They’re about to take a wild ride, and not necessarily in the direction you’d hope.
The administration’s January 2025 executive order released what they’re calling “American energy resources,” which is fancy talk for opening up every square inch of federal land to oil and gas companies. The Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic, your backyard if it has oil underneath—nothing’s off limits anymore. They’ve even approved nuclear reactor testing at the Department of Energy because apparently regular drilling wasn’t exciting enough.
Remember those pesky methane emission regulations? Gone. The EPA relaxed them faster than you can say “climate change.” The Permian Basin is now party central for oil companies, with production ramping up while air and water quality protections get tossed out like yesterday’s newspaper. This approach directly conflicts with climate science showing that fossil fuel dependence is driving unprecedented rises in atmospheric CO2, which has increased from 278 ppm in 1750 to 420 ppm today.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint that’s basically the administration’s playbook, calls for gutting the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Solar panels? Wind turbines? Those are apparently un-American now. Federal subsidies for renewables are getting slashed while fossil fuel companies get the red carpet treatment.
The Department of Energy is being transformed from an oversight agency into a cheerleader for oil and gas production. They’re literally eliminating offices that support renewable energy. It’s like watching someone renovate their house by removing all the windows and insulation.
Trump frames this as restoring “American prosperity” and achieving “energy dominance.” There’s even talk of a United States Sovereign Wealth Fund, which sounds impressive until you realize it’s funded by drilling in your national parks. The administration insists this reverses the “war on oil and natural gas,” though nobody can quite explain when that war started or who was fighting it. The executive order that opened 112.5 million acres of national forestland to industrial logging shows just how far they’re willing to go.
Your wallet’s about to feel the impact of this fossil fuel free-for-all. Whether that means cheaper gas or more expensive everything else remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain: the energy environment is changing fast, and renewable energy just got benched. The shift aligns perfectly with Republican voters, where 67% now prioritize fossil fuel development over renewable sources—a complete reversal from just five years ago.
References
- https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2025/06/05/americans-views-on-energy-at-the-start-of-trumps-second-term/
 - https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-05-23/trump-environmental-policy-project-2025
 - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/
 - https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/donald-trump/2025
 - https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/stories/project-2025-in-action-trumps-plan-to-reshape-us-energy-policy