The U.S. oil industry is preparing executive orders ready for Donald Trump to sign aimed at boosting natural gas exports, cutting drilling costs and increasing offshore oil leases in the event he wins a second term, according to executives. energy sector with direct knowledge of the work. .
The effort stems from industry skepticism about the Trump campaign’s ability to focus on energy issues as Election Day approaches — and fears that the former president is too distracted to plot a quick reversal of the green policies of the Biden administration. Oil executives also fear that a second Trump administration will not attract a competent enough staff to roll back President Joe Biden’s regulations or craft new ones favoring the industry, these people added.
Six energy industry lawyers and lobbyists interviewed by POLITICO described efforts to draft executive orders and other policy documents they view as more effective than anything a second Trump administration could craft on its own. These include a rapid reversal of Biden’s pause on new natural gas export permits and preparations for broader and less costly access to federal lands and waters for drilling.
This initiative is just one example of ongoing efforts by several advocacy groups with strong policy agendas – including opponents of abortion rights – to fill in the gaps in preparation for a possible return of Trump to the White House. The presumptive Republican nominee has been a staunch defender of the oil and gas industry, but companies often angered by the effects of his policies as presidentincluding his trade wars and legal challenges that have thwarted some of his pro-fossil fuel actions.
Trump, who spends much of his days in a Manhattan courtroom, has had little time to delve into policy issues with industry officials. In his absence, oil industry officials said they weren’t sure who was speaking on his behalf on the issues they wanted to address. And while generally unhappy with Biden’s attempts to rein in their industry, some have expressed nervousness about what policies Trump might pursue.
“Beyond what Donald Trump says off the cuff, I don’t think they’re taking a lot of advice when it comes to energy strategy,” Frank Maisano, senior director at government relations firm Bracewell, said of the campaign of the ex-president. to complain about gas prices, he will complain [natural gas]but only in the general sense because the details are complex.”
So lawyers for the oil industry decided to fill the void. Industry representatives have already prepared executive orders for Trump to sign if he gains the White House, said Stephen Brown, principal at energy consultancy RBJ Strategies and a former lobbyist for the refining industry. Reversing Biden’s actions would be a major goal.
“You’ll see a lot of Biden regulations that have come out over the last six months being vetted in one way or another,” Brown said in an interview. “It will be…
