President Donald J. Trump recently announced tariffs on imports, which will cover energy commodities like oil and gas to a certain extent. At a glance, this policy may appear to advance “energy independence,” an agenda Trump favored on the campaign trail—but it’s not quite so simple. Defenders of tariffs on energy would point out that they will reduce energy imports and that retaliatory tariffs will reduce demand for U.S. energy exports, thereby making the United States more “energy independent.” But the problem is that policies that seem to advance energy independence objectives can, ironically, make our energy access less secure.
A more careful analysis of the issue reveals an inherent tension between “energy independence” and “energy security,” terms that politicians often use interchangeably although they are not the same.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
