This piece was initially published in the National Interest.

When we think of dominance in sports, we think of impressive, sustained excellence that overwhelms competitors: Michael Jordan’s Bulls, Tom Brady’s Patriots, and Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. 

What about energy dominance? 

While most Republican presidents have campaigned on some version of energy independence or an “all-of-the-above” energy approach, President Donald Trump goes further—no longer just independence, but dominance is the goal. Much like in sports, Trump has assembled a team on the National Energy Dominance Council to make the required fixes to “win now” and to deliver prolonged success for American energy leadership. 

A defining legacy for the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda should be cheap, reliable, and clean energy. The best hope for this is to support well-functioning energy markets that are open, competitive, and responsive to price signals. A successful energy dominance agenda will achieve four key objectives: affordability, reliability, security, and environmental progress.

Energy Prices and National Security

Energy dominance means families and businesses will have more choices and dependable power at the lowest possible cost. With electricity prices rising faster than inflation and the average American household spending nearly $2,000 on electric bills, energy affordability is becoming an increasing concern for families. Energy is an essential input for almost everything we produce, from steel to data centers; higher energy costs squeeze economic growth. To keep prices in check, we will need more energy, fast. 

Furthermore, American energy dominance will enhance national security interests by diversifying the market and shielding Americans from supply shocks. America’s ascendance to become the world’s largest oil producer has been instrumental in reducing price volatility. 

Expanded production and trade will reduce the ability of hostile actors to manipulate energy markets for geopolitical gain, whether that is China in critical minerals processing or Russia in natural gas. As the world’s largest liquified natural gas (LNG) exporter, US companies are helping allies significantly reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. Last year, the United States supplied Europe with 45 percent of its LNG needs, a threefold increase from its 2021 level. Exporting more energy and US technologies will continue to advance economic and national security interests.

Global Competition

Global energy leadership also results in environmental excellence. In an economically free country, US businesses significantly improve their operational efficiency, resulting in more energy with a smaller environmental footprint. They find new ways to make, transport, and deliver energy to consumers. Through improved operation and innovation, we’ve been able to send economic growth and emissions in opposite directions. 

America is already a global leader in energy production and innovation. Still, China’s control of mineral markets and its aggressive development of solar, nuclear, and advanced technologies, including electric vehicles, presents a very real threat. Thus, the role of President Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) is to provide a policy roadmap for expanding America’s economic and geopolitical leverage as an energy-dominant country.  

Permitting and Regulatory Reform is Key 

To that end, a growing chorus of abundance champions has emphasized that permitting and regulatory reform is the linchpin of sustained and enhanced energy dominance. With centuries of natural resources beneath American soil, suppliers need regulatory stability and certainty to invest, innovate, and build. Excessive regulatory friction and frivolous litigation often hold projects in limbo for years. Some pipelines, transmission lines, and mining projects have been waiting for more than a decade. That is unacceptable. 

This bureaucratic inertia doesn’t just delay progress, stunt economic growth, and restrict energy supply at a time when it’s desperately needed—it deters investment, undermines energy security, and cedes control to adversaries like Russia and China.

Modernizing Rules

The list of necessary fixes is exhaustive, and there is great anticipation about how the agencies will rewrite the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. A monumental step in the right direction would be to shift permitting to permit-by-rule, ensuring projects comply with stringent, objective standards rather than a procedural maze of what-ifs. 

NEPA is far from the only problem. Congress needs to modernize all of the major environmental statutes, such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Endangered Species Act. The administration must also address the regulatory barriers that adversely affect the competitiveness of specific energy technologies and energy operations. That includes everything from relicensing hydropower, securing offshore drilling permits, modernizing radiation standards for nuclear, and ensuring geothermal production on federal land is on equal footing with oil and gas development. Congress should then codify these changes to prevent the seesaw of regulatory changes that increase costs and uncertainty for investors and project developers. 

Delivering on Dominance 

That’s a tall task for the National Energy Dominance Council. If you’re not hearing much from them, it’s because actions speak louder than words. Spearheading regulatory reforms across federal agencies and collaborating with Congress on legislative fixes extends far beyond a white paper. Listening to and engaging with companies to learn where the government can streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and provide regulatory certainty will do more for energy affordability and security than a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

If successful, the NEDC can help chart a path for companies to capitalize on the abundance of natural resources, entrepreneurial spirit, and human ingenuity, making America a more prosperous, secure, and cleaner place to live. An ambitious policy agenda will put the United States on pace to be energy dominant, not just for the next four years, but for the next four decades.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.