Last week, the Senate voted to confirm former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior. As Secretary and expected chair of the soon-to-be-established National Energy Council, Burgum has promised to follow President Trump’s directive to increase oil and gas production. But, if Burgum’s unique record is any indication, his approach might also involve carbon...
Author: RealClearEnergy
The United States Can Beat China on Solar
China dominates solar power supply chains, but the era of American energy dominance could change that. Recent domestic manufacturing investments in the solar industry have totaled more than $40 billion since 2022, further unleashing the industry’s potential here at home. Solar has firmly cemented itself as a key part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy and has steadily grown in...
Reflecting on Eight Years of Conservative Clean Energy
I just celebrated my eighth anniversary running Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES). This milestone represents eight years of working to ensure Republicans have a seat at the table to discuss the benefits of unleashing American energy while lowering emissions. During this time, I witnessed three presidential elections—each with its own nuances—and saw their impact...
A National Energy Council Is the Right Direction for the Environment
The 2024 election season made it clear that voters were unwilling to compromise on American energy affordability. Though Harris eventually capitulated on her previous anti-fracking positions, swing states’ embrace of the Trump-Vance ticket was a vote in favor of a strong all-of-the-above energy approach. Some now worry that the incoming Trump administration’s laser focus on...
Chris Wright Is on a Mission to Improve Lives
As President-elect Trump assembles his cabinet and senior staff, there are familiar names that Americans have come to know over the years. Names like Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. And then there is Chris Wright, perhaps the least recognizable name on the President’s team...
Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling Ban Is Totally Misguided
With only two weeks left in his presidency, Biden has decided to maintain his legacy of repeated attacks on the fossil fuel industry, by issuing a sweeping ban of future drilling along the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaskan Coast. Roughly 625 million acres are now off limits, the size of which is larger than...
A Different Approach to Permitting Reform
Permitting reform must continue to be a priority. The latest proposal was a modest but important step. If enacted, it would have accelerated leasing of federal lands for every form of energy production, made it easier to build electricity transmission lines, and expedited the judicial review of all those actions. But it would still have...
Chris Wright Will Lead on Both Energy Abundance and Environmental Progress
A seasoned energy executive with deep experience in oil and gas, geothermal, nuclear, and solar is nominated to run the Department of Energy. One would think that he’d be met with overwhelming bipartisan support. One would be wrong. Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, was nominated in November by incoming President Donald Trump to be his...
Freezing In the Dark? Report From Seven New England States Outlines “Staggering Costs” of Regional Green Energy Policies
New England residents already pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, as most regional state governments have respectively committed to reducing their carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050. If this plan is not revised, residents and businesses can expect electricity rates to double, along with suffering from rolling blackouts, according...
Chris Wright Poised to Restore U.S. Energy Dominance at DOE
In 2017, I met the CEO of a major German manufacturing company. The CEO was envious of the U.S. and its position as an energy powerhouse. Our development of oil and gas had made energy so abundant and affordable that he was exploring opportunities to open new manufacturing facilities in the U.S. On the Senate...