Opinion: Trump allies aim to take U.S. energy policy back in time
Harold Hamm, a longtime oil executive, is using his influence with President Trump and key administration officials to sideline renewable energy and promote an oil-first agenda resminsicent of the 1990s, Russell Gold writes for The New York Times.
In short:
- Harold Hamm helped gut wind energy tax breaks in Oklahoma while protecting oil subsidies, then expanded his influence to national politics.
- He organized a $1 billion fundraising ask from oil executives to Trump, who has stacked his cabinet with Hamm’s longtime allies.
- Despite renewable energy’s growth and grid stability in states like Texas, the new administration frames fossil fuels as essential and renewables as unreliable.
Key quote:
“Everywhere wind and solar penetration have increased significantly, prices on the grid went up and stability of the grid went down.”
— Chris Wright, U.S. Energy Secretary
Why this matters:
America’s transition to clean energy is running into a powerful force: the fossil fuel industry’s grip on politics. While solar and wind are cheaper than ever, and emissions have dipped in recent years, oil and gas executives are wielding their influence in Washington and state capitols to secure new drilling permits, delay regulations, and protect profits. With President Trump back in office, allies of the fossil fuel sector are again steering energy policy, pushing for expanded production even as the world warms.
The industry's political clout carries steep consequences. For frontline communities — many of them low-income or majority Black, Latino, or Indigenous — the ongoing reliance on fossil fuels means continued exposure to air and water pollution from refineries, pipelines, and power plants. These neighborhoods often bear the health burdens of asthma, heart disease, and shortened lifespans. Meanwhile, climate impacts — from deadly heatwaves to billion-dollar disasters — are escalating, as the planet responds to every added ton of carbon.
Related:
- Trump accelerates fossil fuel expansion as Democrats push back
- Community activists plead to be heard through “closed doors” outside nation’s top energy conference
- Lives “devastated’ by petrochemical industry pollution in Texas: Report
