A massive explosion at a strategic Iranian port killed at least 14 people and injured 750 others on Saturday, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the coastal city that serves as a vital shipping hub for the Islamic Republic.
The explosion occurred at the port of Bandar Abbas in southwestern Iran, sending a massive plume of thick gray smoke into the air, with footage showing the blast originating in what appears to be a warehouse facility, according to videos <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/26/middleeast/iran-bandar-abbas-port-explosion-intl/index.html">geolocated</a> by CNN.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani indicated the explosion likely involved chemical containers, stating that they were stored in a “corner of the port that likely contained chemicals which exploded.”
However, she cautioned, “Until the fire is extinguished, it&#8217;s hard to ascertain the cause.&#8221;
Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni confirmed that six people remain missing as firefighters battle the blaze amid challenging high winds.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING: Massive explosion hits the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas <a href="https://t.co/PDNvcmCVOi">pic.twitter.com/PDNvcmCVOi</a>
— BNO News (@BNONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1916063449383153959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The state-controlled oil company denied responsibility for the explosion, with state media company IRIB reporting that the explosion took place in the chemical and sulfur section of the port.
The blast caused widespread destruction, shattering windows within a radius of several kilometers and leaving buildings at the port complex severely damaged, with reports indicating some people may be trapped in collapsed structures.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has <a href="https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/1916111653445284183">ordered</a> an investigation into the incident and dispatched the interior minister to the region to &#8220;examine the dimensions of the accident&#8221; and conduct &#8220;a comprehensive assessment&#8221; to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Health authorities have advised citizens to remain indoors, avoid outdoor activities, and keep windows closed due to significant air pollution concerns, while many Iranians were seen lining up at health centers to donate blood for the injured.
The now-decimated facility is a critical infrastructure asset for Iran, spanning 2,400 hectares with 35 shipping berths and handling approximately 70 million tons of cargo annually, including oil shipments and general cargo, per CNN.
Regional governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani confirmed that injured people were being transferred to local medical centers in Bandar Abbas, while the port has been closed and all maritime operations suspended until further notice.

TOPSHOT-IRAN-PORT-EXPLOSION

Massive Explosion Rocks Major Iranian Port, Killing 14 And Injuring 750

Explosion

General

Iran

Middle East

Oil and Gas

World

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions against two Iranian petroleum magnates who use their business to funnel revenue to the Iranian regime — one of whom was caught last year attempting to export cargo to China from off the coast of Houston.
Petroleum magnate, Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, his son Meisam Emamjomeh, and his corporate network — now sanctioned by the Trump administration — are responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars worth of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to foreign markets, <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0093">according</a> to the Treasury Department. LPG is a large source of revenue for the Iranian regime, which funds regional terrorist proxy groups including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas.
The sanctions come as the Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-saturdays-nuclear-talks-between-the-u-s-and-iran?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Here%E2%80%99s+What+You+Need+To+Know+About+Saturday%E2%80%99s+Nuclear+Talks+Between+The+U.S.+And+Iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempts to negotiate</a> a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime while also keeping up its maximum pressure campaign. The sanctions were announced by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and are in line with Executive Order 13902, which targets those operating in certain sectors of the Iranian economy.
“Emamjomeh and his network sought to export thousands of shipments of LPG—including from the United States—to evade U.S. sanctions and generate revenue for Iran,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “The United States remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to provide the Iranian regime with the funding it needs to further its destabilizing activities in the region and around the world.”
Under the sanctions, &#8220;all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC,&#8221; according to the Treasury Department. All transactions by American citizens or within the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designees are prohibited. Violations may result in civil and criminal penalties, according to OFAC.
OFAC added that its power comes from its ability to both add and remove people to a sanction list, stating that “the ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.”
Emamjomeh, who is based in Iran, and Meisam, a UAE-based British-Iranian, have owned and operated an LPG sales, transportation, and delivery network through multiple companies in Iran and the UAE for over a decade, according to the Treasury Department.
TINOS I, a large gas carrier vessel in the network, attempted to load LPG off the coast of Houston, Texas, to sell to China in June 2024, according to Lloyd’s List, which <a href="https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153240/EXCLUSIVE-How-an-LPG-tankers-maiden-voyage-ended-with-the-US-sanctioning-a-sprawling-Iranian-gas-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took credit for alerting</a> American authorities about the ship when it was en route to Houston.
According to the maritime news outlet, TINOS I, built in 2024, was on its maiden voyage before sitting at anchor following Lloyd’s list asking authorities for comment. Pearl Petrochemical told Lloyd’s List that it received a license from OFAC but did not specify if it was permitted to lift cargoes in the United States.
Until October 2024, Emamjomeh owned UAE-based Pearl Petrochemical FZE, the beneficial owner of TINOS I, before ownership passed to Meisam.
&#8220;Emamjomeh also owns or controls nine additional LPG companies in Iran, including, reportedly, one company with a monopoly on the National Iranian Gas Company’s LPG deliveries,&#8221; the Treasury Department reported. &#8220;Meisam acts as director and chief executive officer (CEO) of United Kingdom-based Worldwide LPG Limited, while also serving on the board of directors of many of Emamjomeh’s Iran-based companies.&#8221;
One of Emamjomeh’s UAE-based companies, Caspian Petrochemical FZE, is &#8220;part of a network that has exported thousands of shipments of LPG from Iran to Pakistan and [has] conducted tens of millions of dollars in business on behalf of Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co. (PGPICC).&#8221;
PGPICC has been designated by OFAC since July 2019 for being owned or controlled by Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC), which was also designated on the same day for providing financial support to Khatam al-Anbiya, the engineering conglomerate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Emamjomeh’s designation is the consequence of his operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. The designation will extend to several of the companies he owns or controls, including Caspian Petrochemical FZE, Parsa Fidar Paydar Engineering and Technology Company, Nilgon Parsa Caspian Shipping Company, Arsa Gas Company, Pasar Gas Company, Petro Parsa Caspian Iranian Company, Pasar Gas Novin Trading Company, Parsa Salakh Qeshm Industrial Complex, Parsa Trabar Caspian International Transportation Company, and Parsa Trabar Persia International Transportation Company.
Meisam and his Pearl Petrochemical FZE and Worldwide LPG Limited are also being designated, according to the Treasury Department&#8217;s announcement, on similar grounds. The TINOS I will be identified “as property in which Pearl Petrochemical FZE has an interest.&#8221;

Iran To Meet Own Gasoline Needs After Persian Gulf Star Refinery Expansion

Trump Sanctions Iranian Petroleum Magnate Caught Trying To Move Oil From Texas

Iran Nuclear Deal

Sanctions

Scott Bessent

Over the past decade, the climate change movement has morphed into a social and political juggernaut that has weakened and exploited America’s institutions. Its success stemmed from two strengths: it fused science with ideology, creating a quasi-religious fervor — think Just Stop Oil or Extinction Rebellion.
The climate movement also won over the legacy media, which thrives on fear, sensationalism, and a bias toward statism. This alliance resonated with those favoring bigger government and tapped into a primal fear of looming catastrophe — a narrative amplified by widespread ignorance of energy and climate systems. For power-hungry politicians, climate catastrophism became their golden ticket to more influence and control.
Backed by legacy media cheerleaders and an academia dominated by Left-leaning statists, the movement snowballed, especially among the young.  Recent debates and polling shifts suggest some improvement in public understanding, but the damage has been substantial. 
The climate change story, however, rests on shaky scientific and moral ground. The climate has always fluctuated — warming and cooling in cycles — and always will. CO₂, while a greenhouse gas, is a minor player compared to water vapor and solar activity — not the villain it’s painted to be. History shows species thrive in warmer periods and struggle in colder ones.
As Bjorn Lomborg points out, over the past century, climate-related deaths have <a href="https://x.com/BjornLomborg/status/1885310861264199688" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plummeted by 99%,</a> with cold still claiming more lives than heat. The science simply doesn’t support the panic.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Your risk of dying from climate-related disasters dropped 99% since 1920. 
This is because richer societies are much more resilient to disasters 
Read more in my peer-reviewed article: <a href="https://t.co/CC0h7JKIKv">https://t.co/CC0h7JKIKv</a> <a href="https://t.co/hQPpXF2AS2">pic.twitter.com/hQPpXF2AS2</a>
&mdash; Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) <a href="https://twitter.com/BjornLomborg/status/1885310861264199688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Morally, it’s worse. Billions of people <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/12-06-2024-progress-on-basic-energy-access-reverses-for-first-time-in-a-decade?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack access to affordable, reliable energy</a> — a right most Americans enjoy as part of the fortunate one billion. Denying them the cheapest energy sources available, all in pursuit of carbon cuts, is the real injustice. The post-election pivot to prioritize energy access and human well-being over obsessive emissions reductions is a welcome return to reason.
This moral blindness is often cloaked in self-righteous virtue. The climate movement preaches sacrifice while demanding subsidies, mandates, and central planning. It calls for collective responsibility while punishing prosperity. It seeks compliance, not progress; narrative control, not truth. In true Orwellian fashion, freedom becomes pollution, and servitude is sold as sustainability.
The damage wrought by this movement was magnified by the erosion of institutional integrity. In the corporate world, where I operate, our duty is clear: maximize value for investors, as Milton Friedman argued. Property rights demand it. Yet leaders have grown lax, allowing political Trojan horses like ESG and DEI to infiltrate and hijack companies — and their shareholder’s property — for ideological ends. Banks and firms fell in line, abandoning their core mission. The pursuit of shareholder value was replaced with pandering to fashionable causes, often disconnected from performance or accountability.
Academia has suffered similar rot, even my alma mater, the University of Texas. Take the lazy use of terms like “green,” “clean,” and “sustainable” to describe solar and wind energy. Dig into the facts: mining rare earths and manufacturing these technologies are dirty processes, often tied to child labor in Africa, and far from sustainable without heavy subsidies. Describing them as ‘green’ or ‘clean’ is more than misleading, it’s a lie. Our institutions should have been bulwarks against this coercion, but they buckled. The guardians of inquiry and meritocracy became mouthpieces for activist orthodoxy.
The 2024 election and its aftermath signal that we’ve weathered the climate movement’s storm. Now what? At Atlas Energy Solutions, our chairman’s “<a href="https://www.atlas.energy/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Chairmans-Letter-on-ESG.pdf">Who We Are</a>” letter laid it out: we stick to the Friedman Doctrine, building a fortress against political fads and focusing solely on value creation. We’ve aimed to lead by example, and it’s heartening to see others doing the same.
Business and politics don’t mix — nor should academia and politics. Universities owe students free inquiry and critical thinking, not indoctrination. It’s time to purge ideological agendas and revive institutional excellence.
Capitalism — real capitalism — requires moral clarity. It is not a tool of oppression, but a system that rewards value creation and voluntary exchange. The climate agenda, as it stands, undermines both. To restore institutional discipline, we must reaffirm what made this country exceptional: a commitment to liberty, property rights, free markets, and the truth. That’s the only path forward. That’s how we liberate American energy — and the human potential it powers.
* * *
Bud Brigham is an energy entrepreneur from Austin, Texas, and chairman of Brigham Exploration, Brigham Royalties, Langford Energy Partners, and Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE: AEISI). He is also a founding board member of the American Energy Association, a trade organization representing companies that unabashedly support free markets to liberate American energy.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

High voltage towers at sunset background. Power lines against the sky

It’s Time To Liberate American Energy From Climate Dogma

Academia

Bjorn Lomborg

Climate Change

Democrats

Energy

Legacy Media

Minerals

Solar Power

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that any nation that purchases oil from Venezuela would be hit with a 25% tariff by the United States.
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114217914259825110" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social that the &#8220;Secondary Tariff&#8221; on Venezuela is in response to the country &#8220;purposefully and deceitfully&#8221; sending violent criminals to the United States. The Trump administration has begun deporting alleged violent Venezuelan illegal immigrants to El Salvador, where they are being held in a notorious prison.
&#8220;Among the gangs they sent to the United States, is Tren de Aragua, which has been given the designation of &#8216;Foreign Terrorist Organization.&#8217; We are in the process of returning them to Venezuela — It is a big task!&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;In addition, Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse. Therefore, any Country that purchases Oil and/or Gas from Venezuela will be forced to pay a Tariff of 25% to the United States on any Trade they do with our Country.&#8221;
The tariff is set to go into effect on April 2, which Trump has dubbed &#8220;Liberation Day in America,&#8221; when he is expected to announce large-scale <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/03/22/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-duties-liberation-targeted-levies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reciprocal tariffs</a> on American trade partners. Venezuela&#8217;s oil exports rose by 10.5% in 2024, which included shipments to the United States by major U.S. oil company Chevron, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuelas-2024-oil-exports-climb-105-amid-political-turmoil-2025-01-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in January. Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-orders-wind-down-chevrons-oil-exports-venezuela-30-days-2025-03-04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a 30-day wind-down of the license the United States government granted to Chevron in 2022 to export Venezuelan oil. Chevron will have until April 3 to slow down its operation in the South American country.
The top destinations for Venezuelan oil exports include the United States, China, India, and Spain.
The Trump administration has condemned Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro for claiming election victory last July despite evidence pointing to Maduro losing the election in a landslide. Both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also accused Maduro of purposefully sending violent gang members to the United States illegally through the southern border.
&#8220;He is allowing Iran to operate out of Venezuela. He is allowing the Chinese to operate out of Venezuela. He’s threatening his neighbors in the region. He has flooded us with gang members — flooded with these Tren de Aragua gang members that are in this country doing terrible things,&#8221; Rubio <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/723214-rubio-maduro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month. &#8220;Why would we want someone like that to be there?&#8221;

Donald Trump

Trump Slaps Tariff On All Countries That Buy Oil From Venezuela

Executive

Politics

Tariffs

Venezuela

President Donald Trump on Monday called to revive the Keystone XL pipeline project that was abandoned in 2021.
The canceled Keystone XL was supposed to be a 1,200-mile oil pipeline that shipped crude from Canadian oil sands to Nebraska. Politics and backlash from environmentalists mired the project’s necessary permits in bureaucratic limbo.
“Our Country’s doing really well, and today, I was just thinking, that the company building the Keystone XL Pipeline that was viciously jettisoned by the incompetent Biden Administration should come back to America, and get it built — NOW!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114061816777959152" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social on Monday.
“I know they were treated very badly by Sleepy Joe Biden, but the Trump Administration is very different — Easy approvals, almost immediate start! If not them, perhaps another Pipeline Company. We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built!” he added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also pushed for the Keystone XL project to be restarted during an interview on Fox News on Monday.
“We want the Keystone XL pipeline built,” she said.
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🚨 Karoline Leavitt Says Trump Wants to Bring Back Keystone Pipeline 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/k1YKyzQpm3">pic.twitter.com/k1YKyzQpm3</a>
&mdash; DC Shorts (@theDCshorts) <a href="https://twitter.com/theDCshorts/status/1894447274413183185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Construction on the pipeline began in 2010 but stalled in 2015 when then-President Barack Obama revoked a key permit under pressure from environmentalists. Trump revived the project during his first term, only for former President Joe Biden to revoke the permit again on the first day of his term.
TC Energy, the company behind the project, confirmed in a June 9, 2021 press release that the pipeline had been terminated. 
South Bow Corp., a spinoff of TC Energy, has said it has no interest in reviving the dead pipeline project. Sections of the pipeline that had been constructed have been taken apart since the company announced the project’s end, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-25/trump-wants-canada-to-us-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-built-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>.
“We continue to engage with customers to develop options to increase Canadian oil supplies to meet growing US demand,” South Bow spokeswoman Katie Stavinoha said.

Keystone XL

Trump Wants To Revive Keystone XL Pipeline Killed Under Biden: ‘Get It Built – NOW!’

With the signing of six executive orders on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of climate realism and energy security.
In electing President Trump, the American people have rejected the Left’s virtue-signaling climate policies that crush consumers, stifle innovation, and forfeit energy independence and abundant natural resources. So long, increased energy prices, overbearing regulations, and reliance on hostile foreign countries.
The president’s emphasis on undoing these destructive energy and climate policies signifies a long overdue shift from climate alarmism to commonsense policy. Gone are the days of moralistic global climate alliances and vacuous Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs that function as thinly veiled fronts for woke corporate capitalism.
The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Declaring a National Energy Emergency</a> executive order allows the administration to expand the nation’s plentiful energy infrastructure and develop a “reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy” to bolster national and economic security.
Dependence on other nations for energy allows them to weaponize our reliance for coercive purposes and wreak havoc on our markets. Germany provides an example of what to avoid. Dependence on Russian natural gas resulted in electricity surging more than 600 percent in the months following the invasion of Ukraine. Although prices have now returned to pre-invasion levels, “green” energy policies such as <a href="https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/germany#:~:text=The%20country's%20final%20three%20reactors,power%20of%20veto%20to%20both" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decommissioning</a> its last remaining nuclear power plants in 2023 are largely responsible for electricity prices being more than 3x the cost in 2019. Energy independence prevents this threat while unleashing supply diversity and competition, leading to greater affordability, accessibility, and innovation while stimulating job growth and exports to trade partners.
A second order, “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unleashing American Energy</a>” outlines a comprehensive energy strategy to promote energy production on Federal lands and waters, increase mineral processing, examine current energy regulations to ensure proper legal grounding, eliminate the “electric vehicle mandate” and restrictions on household appliances which burdened consumers, raised prices, and prohibited free market competition, and ensure public access to and scientific analysis of executive agency energy decisions.
His other orders include freeing <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska’s natural resources</a> from oppressive restrictions and encouraging exploration of the state’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) potential, restricting inefficient and expensive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wind power projects</a>, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/delivering-emergency-price-relief-for-american-families-and-defeating-the-cost-of-living-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cutting “coercive” federal climate policies</a> and oppressive regulations that only burden consumers through increased cost of transportation, housing, food, and fuel, and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/putting-america-first-in-international-environmental-agreements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formally withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement</a>, an international alliance that disproportionately affected the United States and steered “American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance.”
These orders do not represent the rash, inflammatory actions of a climate denier, but the calculated, prudent strategies of a strong, sensible leader. Together, the president’s energy policies show a clear commitment to putting American taxpayers’ financial and physical security first while projecting a strong, independent national image on the world stage.
And most taxpayers agree that it’s time for change on climate policy. Climate change is a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/02/06/economy-remains-the-publics-top-policy-priority-covid-19-concerns-decline-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low priority</a> for the American people, but energy affordability and stability is an absolute necessity. In 2023, 75% of Americans surveyed said strengthening the economy was the most important policy objective to them and 52% said improving the energy system was their top priority. This also compares to how almost two-thirds of Americans said dealing with climate change is not important to them.
Even America’s largest banking establishments, at times strong proponents of climate wokeism, began <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/jpmorgan-says-leave-net-zero-banking-alliance-2025-01-07/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling away from climate alliances</a> in the weeks leading up to President Trump’s inauguration. While they have much more to do along these lines, such actions are indicative of the shifting arc.
These trends reflect what many scientists have been arguing for years despite resistance from the Left. Most climate fearmongering has never materialized. Indeed, catastrophic predictions from the past 50 years have not been fulfilled, as the <a href="https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wrong Again Report</a> by Myron Ebell and Steve Milloy demonstrates. Climate alarmists consistently continue to be wrong and have truly never been able to make any scientific connections between what they are asking America and the world to do. To put it bluntly, as 2022 Nobel Physics laureate <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/16/john-clauser-nobel-climate-denial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Clauser declared,</a> climate change is not and has never been an existential threat.
President Trump’s climate policy agenda recognizes this reality and promises to enact commonsense change grounded in science, realism, and prudence, putting American consumers first and challenging the misguided ideological conformity prevalent among climate-forward countries. His executive orders are sending a strong message to American companies engaging in climate moralism and ESG practices: disrupting the American economy for virtue-signaling programs is unnecessary, unacceptable, and immoral.
But there is still much to be done to overcome the drastic effects the previous administration’s climate extremism had on the economy and the American consumer. Congress will have to work alongside the president to swiftly pass legislation that adequately protects American citizens and promotes U.S. energy stability and prosperity.
The president is right – America is in the middle of an energy crisis caused by an epidemic of climate moralism and extremism. Yet thanks to this new crusade of commonsense policy, American energy has the chance to reach its full potential – making it secure, independent, and prosperous once again.
* * *
Paul Teller is the Executive Vice President of Advancing American Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At White House

President Trump’s Executive Orders Signify Return To Common Sense Energy Agenda

President Trump's Executive Orders Signify Return To Common Sense Energy Agenda

electric vehicles

Leftists

Natural gas

President Trump

President-elect Donald Trump signaled on Monday that he will quickly reverse President Joe Biden&#8217;s &#8216;ridiculous&#8217; policy moves from his final days in office.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt while talking about Biden&#8217;s decision this week to ban new oil and gas leasing across 625 million acres of U.S. ocean.
&#8220;It’s ridiculous. I’ll unban it immediately. I will unban it. I have the right to unban it immediately,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;What’s he doing? Why is he doing it?&#8221;
&#8220;We have oil and gas at a level that nobody else has. And we’re going to take advantage of it,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And when I see somebody saying he’s going to ban 625 million acres, he doesn’t know what that is. He doesn’t even know what 625 million acres would look like, and we can’t let that happen to our country. It’s our greatest, it’s really our greatest economic asset. And we’re not going to let that happen to our country. We’re going to be great again.&#8221;
Trump said that Biden was greatly diminished, both politically and mentally, from the man that he used to be from 25 years ago.
&#8220;You’re giving up the biggest assets that we have,&#8221; Trump said in calling out Biden&#8217;s insanity. &#8220;I mean, all of that, if you ever look at it on a map, what 625 million acres is, he’s giving this all up? What is he doing?&#8221;
&#8220;The good news is I can change it immediately,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;It’ll be changed on Day One. I can change it immediately. Now, they’ll do everything they can to make it as difficult as possible. You know, they talk about a transition. They’re always saying oh, no, we want to have a smooth transition from party to party, for, you know, of government. Well, they’re making it really difficult.&#8221;
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&#8220;They’re throwing everything they can in the way. They’re giving out trillions of dollars in nonsense and green new deal crap that isn’t worth a damn thing,&#8221; he added. &#8220;In fact, it’s a negative for the country, not a positive. And they’re giving out money at levels that nobody’s ever seen just to get the money. They’re throwing it at people. They’re throwing it at people that don’t even want it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> blasts Joe Biden&#8217;s WAR on energy in his last two weeks in office in an interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/hughhewitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hughhewitt</a>, saying Biden&#8217;s drilling ban is &#8220;the worst abuse of power I&#8217;ve ever seen!&#8221;
&#8220;They’re giving out trillions of dollars in nonsense and Green New Deal crap that… <a href="https://t.co/STn5nTVquN">pic.twitter.com/STn5nTVquN</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1876376217655369983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote>

Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Holds Rally In Glendale, Arizona

Trump To Reverse Biden’s ‘Ridiculous’ Policy Moves From His Final Days In Office

Joe Biden

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> announced Monday that he would ban offshore drilling for more than 625 million acres of U.S. waters before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. 
Biden&#8217;s prohibition through two presidential memoranda on new oil and natural gas leases will cover the entire East Coast and West Coast of the continental U.S., the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Alaska coastline. The White House said the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gave Biden the authority to make such a sweeping ban on energy production.
“In protecting more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling, President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential,” the White House said in a statement. “With these withdrawals, President Biden is protecting coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies – including fishing, recreation, and tourism – from oil spills and other impacts of offshore drilling.”
He previously used the same 1953 law to ban drilling for portions of the North Bering Sea and 2.8 million acres of the Beaufort Sea. 
“The withdrawals have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in the areas withdrawn,” the White House said. 
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The move from Biden comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has promised to increase American oil production and make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill in U.S. waters.
Trump told Hugh Hewitt on Monday that he would take immediate action to reverse Biden&#8217;s executive actions.
&#8220;I see it just came over that Biden has banned all oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal territory. It&#8217;s ridiculous. I&#8217;ll unban it immediately,&#8221; he said.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
PRESIDENT TRUMP: &#8220;I see it just came over that Biden has banned all oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal territory. It&#8217;s ridiculous. I&#8217;ll unban it immediately.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/mGijm5N6v7">pic.twitter.com/mGijm5N6v7</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1876272349542252936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/karolineleavitt/status/1876228351028858932" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday that the ban was motivated by revenge. 
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,” she said. “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
While campaigning for president, Trump vowed to make the U.S. “energy dominant&#8221; and dramatically increase energy production. 
“We’re going to supply it all over Europe, all over the world,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-to-unleash-u-s-energy-production-we-have-more-liquid-gold-than-saudi-arabia-russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We’re going to be double and triple what they’re doing. We’re going to have tremendous energy, and we’re going to lower our prices of energy.”
During his first term in office, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disgraceful-decision-trump-press-secretary-blasts-bidens-move-to-block-more-offshore-drilling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order to rescind former President Barack Obama’s orders to withdraw hundreds of millions of acres of submerged land on the outer continental shelf, leading to a court battle. Obama also pointed to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for his actions.

US President Joe Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act

Biden Bans Offshore Drilling For Most Of U.S. Coastline Before Trump Takes Over

Alaska

Atlantic Ocean

Gulf of Mexico

Karoline Leavitt

Pacific Ocean

President Joe Biden was blasted by incoming Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday after Bloomberg reported that the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-expected-to-block-more-offshore-oil-drilling-impeding-trumps-energy-production-plans?topStoryPosition=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plans to ban</a> new offshore oil and gas developments in some areas of the U.S. coast &#8220;within days.&#8221;
Biden&#8217;s expected move comes after he has faced pressure from Democrats and left-wing environmentalists to block offshore drilling before President-elect Donald Trump takes over on January 20. Trump has promised to increase American energy production and make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill in U.S. waters and on American land. Leavitt vowed that Biden&#8217;s effort to block oil drilling would &#8220;fail&#8221; after Trump takes office.
“Joe Biden clearly wants high gas prices to be his legacy. This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,&#8221; Leavitt said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire. &#8220;Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.&#8221;
Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-02/biden-to-block-more-offshore-oil-drilling-before-trump-arrives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Biden&#8217;s executive order would be based on a 1953 law that gives the president the power to permanently stop offshore oil drilling in U.S. waters without explicitly giving presidents the power to revoke oil drilling bans enacted by their predecessors. The law, titled the &#8220;<a href="https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing/ocs-lands-act-history#:~:text=The%20Outer%20Continental%20Shelf%20Lands,gas%20exploration%20and%20development%20program." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act</a>,&#8221; gives the federal government jurisdiction over the outer continental shelf and puts the Department of the Interior (DOI) in charge of leasing sections of the submerged land for oil and gas development.
In his first term, Trump signed an executive order to rescind former President Barack Obama&#8217;s orders to withdraw hundreds of millions of acres of submerged land on the outer continental shelf. Obama&#8217;s move to block offshore drilling was also based on the 1953 law. Legal experts are <a href="https://www.nyuelj.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Leske-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divided</a> on whether the 70-year-old law allows presidents to rescind a predecessor&#8217;s decision to withdraw land on the outer continental shelf.
In 2023, Biden severely cut back on how many spots the government leases to oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico, allowing “a maximum of three potential oil and gas lease sales – the fewest oil and gas lease sales in history – in the Gulf of Mexico Program Area scheduled in 2025, 2027 and 2029,” according to the DOI. Earlier this week, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-moves-to-lock-up-miles-of-nevada-land-under-environmental-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a slate of environmental rules for Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, including banning energy development along a large portion of the range for the next 20 years.
Trump has promised to revamp American energy production and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-addressing-economic-woes-begins-with-one-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on the campaign trail that he would seek to cut Americans’ energy costs by 50%, arguing that lowering energy bills is the key to tackling economic hardships.

‘Disgraceful Decision’: Trump Press Secretary Blasts Biden’s Move To Block More Offshore Drilling

'Disgraceful Decision': Trump Press Secretary Blasts Biden's Move To Block More Offshore Drilling

In the final days of his term, President Joe Biden is set to ban new offshore oil and gas developments in some areas of the U.S. coast, a move that would hinder President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s push for more energy production.
Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-02/biden-to-block-more-offshore-oil-drilling-before-trump-arrives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Thursday that Biden is expected to issue an executive order &#8220;within days&#8221; that would prevent the sale of drilling rights in certain areas of the outer continental shelf. Biden&#8217;s move to further ban offshore drilling would be based on a <a href="https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing/ocs-lands-act-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1953 law</a> that gives the president the power to permanently stop offshore oil drilling in U.S. waters without explicitly giving presidents the power to revoke oil drilling bans enacted by their predecessors, according to Bloomberg.
Biden has been pressured by Democrats and left-wing environmentalists to ban more offshore drilling before he leaves office and Trump takes over on January 20. In 2023, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-slammed-after-admin-cuts-new-offshore-oil-leases-to-lowest-levels-ever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">severely cut back</a> on how many spots the government leases to oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico, allowing “a maximum of three potential oil and gas lease sales – the fewest oil and gas lease sales in history – in the Gulf of Mexico Program Area scheduled in 2025, 2027 and 2029,” according to the Department of the Interior (DOI).
Biden and his administration officials reportedly intensified efforts to ban more oil and gas drilling after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November. Earlier this week, the DOI <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-moves-to-lock-up-miles-of-nevada-land-under-environmental-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a slate of environmental rules for Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, including banning energy development along a large portion of the range for the next 20 years. The Biden administration also purchased a 640-acre, equivalent to a square mile, parcel of land from Wyoming within the Grand Teton National Park. The purchase also came with permanent environmental bans over the piece of land.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump promised to revamp American energy production, repeatedly saying that under his administration, the U.S. would &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1824240746964365682" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drill, baby, drill</a>.&#8221; In September, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-addressing-economic-woes-begins-with-one-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> supporters in Flint, Michigan, that he would seek to cut Americans&#8217; energy costs by 50%, arguing that lowering energy bills is the key to tackling economic hardships.
“We have to start always with energy,” Trump said. “I don’t want to be boring about it, but there’s no bigger subject that covers everything. If you make donuts, if you make cars, whatever you make, energy is a big deal.”
“And it’s my ambition to get your energy bill within 12 months down 50%,” he added. “If I can do that, we’ve done a hell of a job … [and] interest rates are going to follow.”
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Biden Expected To Block More Offshore Oil Drilling, Impeding Trump’s Energy Production Plans

Biden Expected To Block More Offshore Oil Drilling, Impeding Trump's Energy Production Plans

Department of the Interior

The day after Donald Trump was confirmed the winner of the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. stock market took off like one of Elon Musk’s rockets. Major stock indices posted gains for the day ranging from 2.5% (S&amp;P 500) to 6% (Russell 2000). The stock market is forward-looking, a mechanism for discounting expected future cash flows into present valuations of companies’ shares.
Clearly the market applauds the election results and is anticipating a return to strong growth and huge investment returns in the second Trump Administration.
Is the hype warranted, or is this just another Wall Street bout of irrational exuberance? Let’s take a look under the hood of the Trump economic program and assess what Trumponomics has in store for the U.S. economy in 2025 and beyond.
<h3>Supply-Side Economics </h3>
To appreciate Trump’s economic policy program, we need a basic understanding of supply-side economics. In turn, understanding supply-side economics requires a working knowledge of that essential tool of economic analysis, the supply and demand model.
As all first-year econ students know, market “equilibrium” occurs at the intersection of the demand and supply curves. Demand represents the quantity of any product consumers will buy at each possible price. Demand will slope down as consumers buy more of a product when its price declines.
The level of the demand curve will shift up or down based on a number of factors — changes in the number of consumers, shifts in buyers’ incomes, preferences, and expectations, or conditions surrounding related products. Demand for pickup trucks, for example, will shift upward after a prolonged drop in gas prices.
Supply, on the other hand, represents the cost of production for different quantities of any given product. Supply typically slopes up when more “factors of production” — workers, tools, equipment — are required to meet the demand. 
As the great economist Thomas Sowell continually <a href="https://ichthyoid.writeas.com/what-is-economics#:~:text=The%20definition%20of%20economics%20is,resources%20which%20have%20alternative%20uses." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reminds us</a>, “Economics is the study of scarce resources which have alternative uses.” To increase production of any one good means pulling resources away from the production of other valuable goods. In a market economy, these resources must be “bid up” in price to give their owners sufficient incentive to redeploy them to an alternative productive use. Hence the supply curve — a.k.a. the cost curve — slopes up for most products in the short run. The level of the supply curve is based primarily on factors that alter any business’ costs of production.
When it comes to “cost of production,” economists identify five categories: Technology, taxes, price of inputs, the number of producers and producers’ expectations. If changes in one or more of these factors lead to an increase in costs of production, the supply curve shifts “up and to the left,” and market forces will move the market to a new equilibrium with a higher price and lower quantity produced.
Likewise, if one or more of these factors changes in a way that reduces the costs of production, the supply curve shifts “down and to the right” and the market will move towards a new equilibrium featuring lower prices and larger quantities produced and purchased.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-838525 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-1.png" alt="" width="512" height="209" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-1-300x122.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
Supply-side economics starts with the simple truth that economic growth and wealth creation ultimately stem from the supply side of markets — the economic situation facing producers of goods and services.
In other words, the recipe for economic growth is to push the supply curve to the right.
When the supply curve for any good or service shifts to the right, the cost of production is reduced, meaning businesses can produce at a lower cost. In a competitive marketplace, lower costs will soon be passed along to consumers in the form of lower prices. Shifting the supply curve to the right leads to a new equilibrium at a lower price and higher quantity of output. When prices fall and quantities rise, we all get richer.
Hence the mantra: the recipe for economic growth is to push supply curves to the right. 
Only by pushing supply curves to the right consistently over time can we increase the production (and thus consumption) of goods and services, improve our standard of living, and achieve economic prosperity. 
So what can government do to push supply curves to the right? Plenty. Donald Trump — the entrepreneur-turned politician — knows this well and is promising supply curve-shifting policies like never before.
Three policy areas in particular are ripe for large “positive supply shocks” and a rapid return of the U.S. economy to a high-growth, low-inflation situation: Energy production, Taxes, and Regulations. 
<h3>Energy Production</h3>
My personal favorite plank of Trump’s supply-side program is summarized in Trump’s refrain, “Drill, baby, drill.” Indeed, President-elect Trump knows that the economy runs on energy, he knows that reducing energy costs will benefit everyone in a direct and obvious way, and he knows that America is sitting on vast amounts of “liquid gold,” as he so charmingly refers to &#8220;America’s yuge oil reserves.&#8221; Trump further understands that government can help or hinder American energy through its stance on regulation, permitting, and taxation of energy production.
Trump has promised a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-commits-to-slashing-energy-prices-by-half">50% reduction in energy costs</a> for Americans by the end of his first year back in office. Elites in both parties probably laugh this off as mere Trumpian rhetorical hype, but it’s economically realistic and very doable.
Here’s why.
The demand for energy products like gasoline is “inelastic,” meaning the quantity people will buy is not very sensitive to changes in price. If the price of gasoline goes up, most of us will keep on buying gas because we have set patterns of commuting for work, school, and the like. We might be able to trim gas spending by cutting some non-essential trips, but it’s difficult to drastically alter consumption, at least in the near term. Consumers, therefore, have to eat the costs and feel the pain of high energy prices in the form of lower real incomes. On the flip side, if energy prices fall, consumers will not ramp up purchases all that much — they’ll mostly just enjoy the cost savings and expand their purchases of other nice things.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-838529 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-2.png" alt="" width="512" height="435" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-2.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-2-300x255.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />In the big picture, inelastic demand means that when we steadily increase oil and gas production, their prices can fall substantially. We saw this coming out of the recession of 2008, when the perfection of new methods of shale oil production — fracking and directional drilling — led to an explosion of U.S. production.
Oil prices were initially rising along with the economic recovery, but once the production boom set in and inventories expanded, prices eventually tumbled. Oil prices hovered around $100 in the early 2010s, and then collapsed during 2015, all the way down to the $50-$60 range.
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The post-Covid recovery saw another run-up in prices — partly based on demand recovery, but partly due to the overall inflation wrought by the terrible combination of <a href="https://aier.org/article/the-fed-is-responsible-for-great-inflations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loose monetary policy</a> and massively wasteful government spending via stimulus checks and the Inflation Reduction Act. Even with Biden’s unfriendly regulatory environment, U.S. production of crude oil recently hit an all-time high of 13.4 million barrels per day, and U.S. proved reserves of both oil and natural gas are also at all-time highs.
With Trump’s pro-energy policy mix, oil and gas production is likely to once again take off, with the potential to crush prices, as we saw in the early 1980s and again in the 2010-2015 era.
<div id="attachment_838533" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-838533" class="wp-image-838533 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-3.png" alt="Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/) " width="512" height="218" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-3.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-3-300x128.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data</div>
<div id="attachment_838535" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-838535" class="wp-image-838535 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-4.png" alt="Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency (https://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/crudeoilreserves/)" width="512" height="261" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-4.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Supply-4-300x153.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency</div>
With his cabinet nominations, Donald Trump has shown a serious commitment to “energy dominance.” As governor of the third largest oil and gas state, North Dakota’s Doug Burgum knows the industry well, and as the incoming Secretary of the Interior he will be in a position to greenlight drilling permits on over 500 million acres of federally-managed land — permits that Biden’s cronies either slow-walked or denied outright.
Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy, helped perfect the fracking techniques that vaulted America to the forefront of global energy production. As Energy Secretary, Wright can quickly undo Biden’s moves to hamstring U.S. exports of natural gas.
Lee Zeldin is a former GOP congressman from New York and a strong supporter of American oil and gas. As EPA Administrator, he will be able to mitigate regulations that stifle fossil fuel production and delivery.
Overall, Trump’s picks present a strong and united pro-fossil fuel front. The stage is truly set for an American energy renaissance, the largest piece of Trump’s supply-side economic package.
* * *
Tyler Watts is a professor of economics at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Donald Trump Campaigns In Iowa

Supply-Side Trumponomics, Part One: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’

Supply-Side Trumponomics, Part One: 'Drill, Baby, Drill'

Economics

Supply Chain

Thomas Sowell

President-elect Donald Trump has announced his choice to be the next Secretary of the Interior: two-term North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum.
“If confirmed by the Senate, Burgum would manage the more than 500 million acres of federal land as well as the fossil fuels and minerals that lie beneath the surface — making him a critical component in Trump’s promise to boost oil and gas output,” POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/14/doug-burgum-interior-secretary-trump-00188590">noted</a>, adding, “North Dakota is the third-largest oil-producing state in the country and also has more than 4 million acres under federal oversight.”
“He’s going to be announced tomorrow for a very big position,” Trump <a href="//5886F98F-01C5-4A75-BE67-0801B0F82ABE/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night. “We’re going to do things with energy and with land, Interior, that is going to be incredible. &#8230; He’s going to head the Department of the Interior and he’s going to be fantastic. &#8230; We’ll make the formal announcement tomorrow.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Last May, Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/climate/trump-burgum-for-interior-secretary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Burgum, who ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but <a href="//5886F98F-01C5-4A75-BE67-0801B0F82ABE/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped out</a> before the Iowa caucuses and <a href="//5886F98F-01C5-4A75-BE67-0801B0F82ABE/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Trump, “probably knows more about energy than anybody I know.”
In July 2023, after the Biden administration’s federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed regulating onshore oil and gas leases on federal lands, increasing the minimum lease bond to 15 times the previous amount, reducing areas available for leasing, and raising the minimum bid amount to five times the previous amount, Burgum <a href="https://www.governor.nd.gov/news/burgum-proposed-blm-rule-oil-and-gas-leasing-federal-lands-would-discourage-us-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>:
<blockquote>
These proposed changes are just the latest in the Biden administration’s long list of misguided policies that discourage domestic energy production. By raisings costs for oil and gas producers who want to develop minerals on federal lands, BLM will drive away producers and drive up energy costs for consumers, who will be forced to pay higher prices for fuels imported from countries that don’t produce energy as cleanly as the United States. We should be selling energy to our friends and allies instead of buying it from our adversaries and putting our country’s economy, energy security and national security at risk.
</blockquote>
Even some environmental activists praised the choice of Burgum as Interior Secretary; Collin O’Mara, CEO of the environmental group National Wildlife Federation, stated, “I think he’ll be a very strong champion of the energy dominance agenda. But in North Dakota, he tried to find some level of balance to make sure that important conservation areas, important areas for tourism, weren’t harmed in the process.”

2024 Republican National Convention: Day 3

Trump Picks Burgum For Secretary Of Interior

Doug Burgum

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