Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Wright, the U.S. Department of Energy has reported significant changes in national energy policy, production, and regulation.
According to the Department, gas prices have dropped to a four-year low at an average of $2.90 per gallon, which is expected to save Americans over $500 million during the Christmas season. The United States now leads global oil and natural gas production, with daily outputs of 24.2 million barrels of oil and 108 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
On his first day in office, President Trump directed the Energy Department to end the previous administration’s ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Since January, approvals for new LNG export capacity have surpassed current volumes exported by the world’s second-largest exporter.
The Department states that prices for propane, kerosene, firewood, and fuel oil have also decreased since President Trump took office. Efforts are underway to refill and repair the Strategic Petroleum Reserve following what officials described as “reckless” depletion under prior policies.
In May 2025, a deregulatory initiative was announced that proposed eliminating 47 regulations identified as increasing consumer costs. The Department estimates this could save Americans $11 billion. In March 2025, four conservation standards—covering electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies—were withdrawn in an effort to reduce regulatory requirements.
President Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day in office with a focus on stabilizing grid reliability and lowering costs. According to a recent report from the Energy Department, before President Trump’s election there was an anticipated shortfall in reliable electricity generation that could have resulted in significantly more blackouts over five years.
The Department has issued 16 emergency orders aimed at maintaining grid reliability during extreme weather or high demand periods. It also reversed policies regarding hydroelectric power in the Columbia River Basin that could have affected more than 3,000 megawatts of generation capacity.
Support has been provided for Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure by reallocating $365 million toward repairs intended to deliver reliable electricity more quickly to its residents.
More than $13 billion previously appropriated for climate initiatives was canceled in September 2025; these funds were returned to the U.S. Treasury.
Wages for coal workers are reported up as coal plants reverse closure plans. By year-end 2025, more than 15 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity generation will remain operational due to these policy changes. The National Coal Council has been reinstated to provide guidance on coal technology and markets.
Actions have also been taken within nuclear energy development: DOE aims to expand American nuclear capacity from approximately 100 GW in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050. Recent awards include $800 million for small modular reactor deployment (TVA and Holtec), a $1 billion loan for restarting a Pennsylvania nuclear plant providing 850 MW of electricity, support for advanced nuclear fuel pilot projects with four companies selected in September 2025, conditional commitments for uranium supply agreements with three companies announced in August 2025, initial selections under a Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program announced that same month, site selections for AI data centers related to energy infrastructure on federal lands announced in July 2025; as well as a pilot program focused on advanced reactors and domestic supply chains started later that month.
Efforts continue around securing critical minerals domestically: In November and December of this year alone DOE opened funding opportunities totaling nearly half-a-billion dollars targeting mineral extraction from industrial byproducts and rare earth element recovery from unconventional sources; it also restructured its loan agreement with Lithium Americas so taxpayers now hold equity warrants through Lithium America Corporation.
DOE reports advances made possible by its national laboratories’ work developing technologies extracting critical minerals from coal waste—with ongoing partnerships aimed at commercialization.
Modernization efforts at NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration) received more than $3 billion via legislative action earlier this year; milestones include completion ahead-of-schedule of the B61-13 gravity bomb modification program as well as modernization work completed on W88 warheads used aboard Ohio-class submarines; two new supercomputers were introduced at Los Alamos National Laboratory supporting security research including artificial intelligence applications.
President Trump signed Executive Order 14363 launching DOE’s Genesis Mission—a flagship project combining private sector AI capabilities with federal scientific resources—as part of broader moves accelerating innovation across science fields including fusion power development via release last October of DOE’s Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap outlining strategies for rapid commercialization.
“Thanks to President Trump’s policies, America leads the world in oil and natural gas production,” stated an official press release from the Energy Department.
“In May 2025, the Energy Department announced the largest deregulatory effort in the department’s history,” according to departmental statements.
“The Energy Department has issued 16 emergency orders…to maximize grid reliability,” said officials regarding efforts addressing potential blackouts.
“Thanks to President Trump…the next American Nuclear Renaissance has arrived,” noted another section highlighting nuclear industry initiatives.
“DOE’s national labs have been able to develop technologies to extract critical minerals…and is partnering with private industry,” stated departmental representatives about resource security efforts.
“Signed into law earlier this year…the Working Families Tax Cut made more than $3 billion [available]…at NNSA,” explained officials discussing modernization investments.
“On November 24th…President Trump signed Executive Order 14363 directing [DOE]…to lead its flagship AI initiative—the Genesis Mission,” confirmed departmental sources regarding technology policy.
