United States, correspondence
$75 million to support Trump. This is what the oil and gas industries have lined up to support his campaign according to an analysis by the Climate Power association. Anxious to pay them back, the president-elect has committed to building new oil pipelines and wants to put an end to subsidies for the transition to cleaner energies.
To carry out his plan, he chose to surround himself with oil enthusiasts. « Trump has a history of paying off political debts. He returns the favor, so these industries expect to have a lot of influence for the next four years »assures Henry Lee, director of the Environment and Natural Resources program at Harvard University. The three key men on whom Donald Trump is banking are « all calamities »laments Ann Bostrom, professor of environmental policy at the University of Washington. Portrait of the trio.
Chris Wright, magnat du fracking
As Secretary of Energy, Donald Trump chose Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Company, a company specializing in hydraulic fracturing. Its main mission will be to reduce administrative formalities to facilitate investments in fossil fuels. His favorite thesis ? Oil lifts people out of poverty, guaranteeing them modern comfort. « Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American shale revolution »wrote Donald Trump after his nomination.
This graduate of WITH (Massachusetts Institute of technology) also made itself known by drinking a glass of liquid from hydraulic fracturing « to toast environmental critics »reminds him New York Times. In a video posted on Linkedin last year, Chris Wright claimed that« there was no climate crisis »but recognizes the role of fossil fuels in rising temperatures.
Ce tech nerdas it describes itself, will be part of a new National Energy Council, which will bring together state agencies that license, produce, distribute and regulate the energy sector. « He is not the key man of the triocomments Henry Lee, because this ministry is more focused on research than on operations. The one who will have the most influence is Doug Burgum. » During Chris Wright's Senate hearing to be validated for his position on January 15, demonstrators entered to denounce the role of fossil fuels in the fires raging in Los Angeles.
Doug Burgum, the man who whispered in the ear of the oil companies
This 68-year-old billionaire, who made his fortune in software, must become the next Secretary of the Interior in the Trump government. He will be responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources, while leading the National Energy Council.
Former governor of North Dakota, the third largest oil producing state in the country, he is a great friend of Harold Hamm, president of Continental Resources, the most powerful oil producer in Oklahoma and North Dakota.
« Burgum is known among mid-sized fossil fuel companies, and they — in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming — were powerful vehicles for Trump's victory. They felt that Joe Biden's philosophy was going to gradually eliminate them, so they did a lot of lobbying »this Henry Lee.
Burgum's views on climate are contrasting: he wanted to make North Dakota carbon neutral by 2030, but to do this, he primarily relied on carbon capture technologies, which are highly contested by scientists. His appointment was criticized by the Sierra Club, the largest environmental association in the country, which sees in him a paragon of excessive deregulation including « polluters profit ».
Lee Zeldin, dollars rather than water
Former Republican elected to the House of Representatives (2015-2023), Lee Zeldin is a 44-year-old New Yorker. Trump nominated him to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Normally, theEPA has the mission of protecting the environment, by ensuring the proper application of regulations. But Zeldin was chosen to overturn the rules, a mission that Donald Trump wants « fast »pour « unleashing the power of corporate America, while maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet ».
Not sure those are priorities for Lee Zeldin, who has voted against clean water legislation at least a dozen times, according to the League of Conservation Voters. « Zeldin worries me more than Burgum: he has absolutely no knowledge of the area he is entering. »this Henry Lee.
Since his failed 2022 campaign to become governor of New York, he launched his consulting firm, which allowed him to earn nearly $800,000 in salary income, and between « 1 and 5 million » in dividends from his company, according to Business Insider.
He was notably paid to publish editorials, the business news site revealed, one of which, published in July, called for an end to the ban on hydraulic fracturing in New York State.
What room does this team have to boost the oil industry? ?
The president and his team have two main levers to boost the production of fossil fuels, explains the media Vox. First, he can expand access to public lands for oil and gas development, through Doug Burgum. During his first term, Donald Trump, for example, reduced the surface area of protected areas to be able to exploit more.
But increasing concessions will not necessarily guarantee an increase in production, because it can take a long time to extract even the slightest drop. « If you are an investor and you go to a new operating area, you can wait eight years before it is operational »souligne Henry Lee. « During his first term, Trump had opened up land exploitation in Alaska, and investors were not rushing… »
For tangible effects quickly, Donald Trump can bring out the second blade, Lee Zeldin, to try to lighten the regulations of theEPAputting an end to some, passed under the Biden era. But many are nested in legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides about $369 billion in investments in clean energy and climate initiatives over 10 years.
« L’IRA will not be easy or quick to unravel […] and oil, in 2050, there will be much less. So investors want to move as quickly as possible, to make a lot of money quickly. Then it will be too late. So they will push Trump to quickly make their lives easier »observes Henry Lee. Wright, Burgum and Zeldin are all ready to follow their president in stride.
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