US to Prioritise Energy Expansion Over Net-Zero Goals, Says Secretary Chris Wright

In line with the US President Donald Trump's vision of increasing fossil fuel production for energy generation, Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an order, on the second day of taking office, stating that the Department of Energy will prioritise expanding energy production over achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as reported by Reuters.

The order stated that net-zero policies increase energy costs for families and businesses in the US, threaten reliability of energy systems and undermine energy security. It further said, as mentioned in the report, "The Department's goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance."

The department is set to pursue Trump's plans to speed up energy production, strengthen grid resilience, expand nuclear power capacity and refill crude oil reserves.

During former President Joe Biden's tenure, oil and gas production was already record high, fueled by improved drilling technology.

The order, according to the report, did not provide any new details about how these goals would be achieved.

On the very first day of taking charge, Trump issued a series of anti-climate orders including the declaration of national energy emergency and withdrawal from the landmark Paris accord. He said in an order that he will review the regulations that “impose undue burdens on energy production and use” and roll back incentives on electric vehicles. He had also called for an end to leases for wind energy farms.

Biden had set a target for the country to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, in part by subsidising electric vehicles and encouraging clean energy expansion. The target was also to achieve a 61-66% reduction in net GHG emissions by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.