How Current U.S. Energy Policy Puts Ideology Above Americans

Photo via Steve Helber, Associated Press

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On February 12th, 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) repealed the agency’s “endangerment finding,” the 2009 ruling made by the administration of then-U.S. President Barack Obama that greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels endanger human health. This ruling provided the ability for the government to then regulate fossil fuels. The ability for the E.P.A. to make this determination comes from the Clean Air Act, which gives the E.P.A. the power to regulate pollutants damaging to human health.

President Donald Trump has denied the scientific consensus of climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels, and the current administration argues this decision will save Americans money by removing regulations that require adherence to emissions standards. However, this ignores the stark ecological, health, and societal impacts of climate change that cannot be quantified in monetary terms. 

The effort to maintain fossil fuels as the dominant energy source in the U.S. is one of the most sustained policies of the two Trump administrations, going back to 2017. During Trump’s first term, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement twice, an agreement signed by the vast majority of the world’s countries to keep global temperatures “well below” two degrees Celsius, and removed dozens of climate and pollution regulations, including allowing oil and gas production on protected federal land.

During the 2024 presidential election, policies designed to reduce the impact of periods of high gas prices and inflation on consumers during the Presidency of Joseph Biden were prioritized by voters, allowing Trump to capitalize on this sentiment by emphasizing policies encouraging expanded fossil fuel production.

Thus, in his second term, Trump continued his policy of greatly prioritizing the expansion of fossil fuel production and use, but in comparison to his first term in office, he has dismantled one of the most significant pieces of climate legislation passed by Congress in U.S. history, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, signifying a strong legislative rebuke of previous action to limit the effects of climate change. Among these policies included subsidization of electric vehicles, production and use of clean energy sources, and devices to reduce air pollution, as well as an ultimate goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the country by 2050.

The cost savings purportedly given to Americans by the rollback of the engagement finding is irreconcilable with the fact that the second Trump administration has been steadfast in attempting to, and often succeeding in, ending the construction of renewable energy projects around the country by use of the federal approval process. These include the shutdown of a large solar farm in the Nevada desert and the attempted halting of five wind projects off the east coast of the U.S., including New York’s Empire Wind, which recently gained permission from a judge to temporarily continue.

These projects already had obtained billions of dollars of investments, and were planned to power millions of homes across the U.S. at a time where energy prices and the cost of living have been a concern for many Americans. This is contrasted with the fact that U.S. taxpayers give fossil fuel companies billions of dollars in subsidies every year, and actions such as converting the country’s electric grid to rely more on renewable sources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric, could contribute to bringing down costs for consumers.

This strategy also ignores broader economic realities, as even while fossil fuels continue to be subsidized, renewables remain cost effective compared to fossil fuels, showing the economic viability of renewables as an energy source. The disparity between economic viability and government preference was also seen in Trump’s first term through his policy on coal energy. During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to rebuild the coal industry, and implemented policies such as rolling back regulations on coal mining waste dumping and restarting coal leasing on federal land. However, this was unsuccessful in reviving the industry, and decline of coal plants continued into the Biden administration.

Today’s energy policy will not only impact the daily lives of Americans today, but far into the future, due to climate change’s widespread effects on all life on Earth. Government investment in renewable energy and achieving a net-zero economy is not only economically sound policy, but can also help contribute to a cleaner planet for future generations.

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This article was edited by Vedha Gokul and Ella Cohen.