‘DRILL BABY DRILL’: Trump’s energy-dominance plans and new legislation go hand-in-glove

This article was originally published at The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published here with permission. 

The Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act (ARC-ES) introduced in October by Ohio Congressman Troy Balderson (R) contains numerous important features to ensure low-cost, abundant energy for households and businesses, many of them outlined previously in this space.

But a striking feature of the proposal is how perfectly Balderson’s bill – paired with a clean energy resolution and legislation to strengthen the electricity grid introduced earlier by the congressman – dovetails perfectly with the mandate and goals of the National Energy Dominance Council established by President Trump back in February.

Shortly after his election victory in November 2024, Trump announced his intention to establish the council and put Doug Burgum in charge of it.

“This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” Trump wrote in a prepared statement, as reported by the Associated Press.

“We will “DRILL BABY DRILL,” expand ALL forms of Energy production to grow our Economy, and create good-paying jobs,” Trump added.

Burgum said at the time that he and Trump were concerned about “the nexus between energy and inflation and the nexus between energy and national security.” Burgum, the former North Dakota governor who also serves as Interior secretary, said that “the U.S. needs to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence,” the AP reported.

To that end, the goals laid out by Trump’s executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council go hand-in-glove with legislation introduced by Balderson.

Trump’s executive order requires the U.S. “to prioritize the policy objective of increasing energy production, such as rapidly and significantly increasing electricity capacity; rapidly facilitating approvals for energy infrastructure; approving the construction of natural gas pipelines to, or in, New England, California, Alaska, and other areas of the country underserved by American natural gas; facilitating the reopening of closed power plants; and bringing Small Modular Nuclear Reactors online.”

Likewise, Balderson’s ARC-ES bill mandates that reliable energy will mean “a source of electricity that…is not subject to intermittent availability…(and) is not subject to routine weather that impacts energy production…” ARC-ES requires that “the term ‘clean’ with respect to energy means any energy generated using…a nuclear reactor…or…the combustion of hydrocarbons, in accordance with the national ambient air quality standards under title I of the Clean Air Act…including any such energy that is generated using natural gas.”

In laymen’s terms, Balderson’s bill requires an evidence-based, all-of-the-above approach to energy. It requires that sources used for electricity are dispatchable 24 hours a day, seven days a week – in other words, they are not dependent on the wind blowing or the sun shining. It requires that our energy sources have the ability to ramp up or down electricity generation within an hour in order to stabilize the grid.

Balderson’s introduction of the ARC-ES act comes on the heels of his resolution recognizing natural gas as an affordable and green energy source and his bill (HR 1047) – which recently passed the House – to fast-track new power plants to ensure the long-term reliability of the American electric grid. Taken together, they represent the legislative muscle necessary to codify President Trump’s commitment to U.S. energy dominance and make it an enduring, multi-generational legacy.

An important goal of both Trump’s energy council and Balderson’s legislative efforts is to redefine “clean energy” in a manner that rescues the term from decades of politicization by the radical left and establishes a commonsense emissions standard that facilitates the “all-of-the-above” approach to U.S. energy necessary to keep costs low and our energy security guaranteed.

“The Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act positions the U.S. as the world’s energy leader,” Balderson said when announcing the bill. “It achieves true energy dominance. It directs federal agencies to align their policies with common sense objectives rather than slogans and empty promises. It provides a crucial tool for Congressional oversight.”

When the president appointed him to head the National Energy Dominance Council, Burgum said, “Energy is a component of everything — it’s the clothes you wear, the food you eat.” It’s true – the cost and availability of energy impacts virtually every facet of modern life.

Trump’s action to establish an energy policy by executive order was an important step. But executive orders can be stopped in their tracks by a new administration less devoted to the energy security of the U.S. or less enthusiastic about the “all-of-the-above” approach necessary to achieve it. Every American concerned about the uncertainty of a fluctuating energy future should contact their House and Senate members and urge their support for ARC-ES.

Passing ARC-ES in time for our celebration of 250 years of freedom and independence would be the greatest gift imaginable coming out of Washington – a gift that deserves to go from every Americans’ wish list to being signed, sealed and delivered by July 4, 2026.

 

Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation.