With President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at the helm, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reported significant changes in energy policy and production. The department highlighted record levels of oil and natural gas output, lower consumer prices, and new initiatives in nuclear energy, coal, and critical minerals.
According to DOE statements, average gasoline prices have dropped to a four-year low of about $2.90 per gallon. The department estimates this will save Americans over $500 million during the Christmas season. The United States now produces 24.2 million barrels of oil per day—more than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined—and generates 108 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, matching the combined output of Russia, Iran, and China.
The administration credits these results to ending previous restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Since January 2025, DOE approved additional LNG export capacity exceeding that of the world’s second-largest exporter.
DOE also announced reductions in prices for propane, kerosene, firewood, and fuel oil since President Trump took office. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is being refilled after previous withdrawals.
In May 2025, DOE proposed eliminating 47 regulations it says increased costs for consumers—a move projected to save Americans $11 billion. In March 2025, four conservation standards were withdrawn to “restore consumer choice” and reduce red tape.
To address concerns about grid reliability raised by a DOE report earlier in the year—which warned of potential electricity shortages—the department issued 16 emergency orders aimed at maintaining power supply during extreme weather events and peak demand periods. These actions reversed plans from the prior administration to close coal, natural gas, and hydroelectric plants.
DOE halted policies that would have affected hydroelectric generation in the Columbia River Basin and redirected $365 million toward Puerto Rico’s power grid repairs. In September 2025, more than $13 billion earmarked for clean energy programs was returned to the U.S. Treasury.
Support for coal has also been emphasized through wage increases for workers and efforts to prevent plant closures. By year-end 2025, over 15 gigawatts of coal-fired generation are expected to remain operational due to these policies.
Nuclear energy initiatives include expanding domestic capacity from approximately 100 GW in 2024 to a target of 400 GW by 2050. Recent awards include $800 million for small modular reactor deployment with TVA and Holtec; a $1 billion loan for restarting a Pennsylvania nuclear plant; support for advanced nuclear fuel projects; commitments for high-assay low-enriched uranium; pilot programs for new reactor technologies; site selections for AI data centers on federal lands; and further efforts to strengthen nuclear fuel supply chains.
In critical minerals development, DOE announced funding opportunities totaling nearly half a billion dollars in late 2025 for domestic mineral production from industrial byproducts as well as rare earth element recovery projects. A restructured loan with Lithium Americas gives the government equity ownership while supporting domestic lithium carbonate production.
National security measures included accelerating modernization at DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), manufacturing updates on nuclear weapons systems such as the B61-13 gravity bomb ahead of schedule, completing modernization work on submarine-based warheads (W88 Alt 370), and deploying two new supercomputers at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
On November 24, President Trump signed Executive Order 14363 directing DOE’s Genesis Mission—an initiative combining private-sector artificial intelligence with government scientific resources—to lead national AI efforts. In October 2025, DOE released its Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap outlining strategies for developing commercial fusion power technology domestically.
“Thanks to President Trump’s policies,” said a statement from DOE leadership included in their release: “America leads the world in oil and natural gas production.” Another excerpt stated: “The Energy Department has ushered in an unprecedented era of energy dominance.”
These actions reflect ongoing shifts in U.S. energy policy under current leadership across fossil fuels, renewables, nuclear technology development, critical mineral supply chains, grid reliability measures, national security modernization efforts within NNSA facilities—including advancements in supercomputing—and research initiatives such as those targeting fusion power or artificial intelligence integration within federal agencies.
