President Trump’s historic victory in the November election gave him a clear mandate from the American people. And so far, he hasn’t wasted any time getting to work. In his first month back in office, Trump signed 45 Executive Orders (EO) in an effort to put America first and undo much of the damage created by the Biden administration. And that’s especially true with his executive actions to unleash American energy.
Ending the Net Zero Climate Cult Fantasy
For four years under President Biden, the American people were forced to endure an administration that was hellbent on pursuing a net zero agenda. Across the country, they pushed these radical and costly climate action plans to fundamentally transform and restrict the energy options available to consumers. Along with this came calls from the Left to ban gas stoves, gas cars, gas-powered lawn equipment, and hundreds of other draconian ideas to limit the freedom of the American people.
If the high cost of these plans wasn’t enough, they have also proven to be unreliable. States and countries that have committed to energy sources like solar and wind as part of this net zero fantasy have experienced rolling blackouts, continually demand that their customers use less, and eventually have to make haste to open reliable sources of generation they had closed down. Isn’t that right, California?
But Trump’s Executive Order 14154 unleashes fossil fuel production and use in America while unwinding much of the damage caused by the Biden administration. Under Trump, the government will promote the production, distribution, and use of reliable domestic energy supplies, including oil, natural gas, and biofuels. And it will also eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate in order to promote consumer choice across the country.
On top of this, a recent memo directs federal agencies to eliminate anything approved under the Biden administration that references climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; racial equity; gender identity; “diversity, equity, and inclusion” goals; environmental justice; and the Justice 40 Initiative. This is a big win for America, but there is still more work to do.
Next Step: Rolling Back the Administrative State
Trump’s executive actions were the critical first step in freeing the country from this net zero madness, but the pushback can’t stop there. The Trump administration must begin the difficult work of stripping the administrative state of their ability to coerce states into adopting Green New deal policies through brute bureaucratic enforcement.
Just look at how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been weaponizing their ozone rules to force states into adopting California’s net zero agenda. We’ve seen it right here in Arizona.
According to the EPA, Maricopa County is an ozone nonattainment area under the Clean Air Act. As a result of this determination, they are threatening heavy sanctions against the state unless we adopt “control measures” to deal with the problem. And it just so happens that those control measures align perfectly with the goals of the radical climate cult lobby—banning gas cars, stoves, leaf blowers, and all gas-powered industrial equipment that make our economy function.
But here’s the thing. Arizona and, more specifically, Maricopa County, doesn’t even have an ozone problem. Currrent levels of ozone in the region are lower today than they were 20 years ago. And it turn out that the most of the ozone we do have in the atmosphere doesn’t even come from anyone in the county—it is either naturally occurring or comes from international sources, primarily China and Mexico.
Other states across the country have the exact same problem, yet the EPA doesn’t care because it’s not really concerned about where the ozone comes from. They just want to use it as a cudgel to beat states into submission.
This sort of bullying from the administrative state must be stopped by the Trump administration. It is critical for the federal government to curb and repeal any agency rules designed to force states to adopt Green New Deal policies like banning gas cars and gas stoves. And we certainly should not be allowing any federal agency to punish US citizens and businesses for pollution coming from China and Mexico. In his second term, our 47th President has shown a knack for fixing some significant problems in the government. Now, the Club is excited to get to work with his administration to fix this problem—and take the next step in unleashing American energy.
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