Executive Order 14154
Unleashing American Energy
Signed January 20, 2025
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14154, which claims to promote energy independence by rolling back environmental regulations, expanding fossil fuel production, and eliminating federal support for clean energy initiatives. The order revokes multiple climate-focused executive orders from previous administrations, weakens environmental protections, and removes regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
🔗 Read the Executive Order on the Federal Register
🔗 Read the White House Announcement
What You Should Know
This order prioritizes fossil fuel production over environmental protection and public health.
Executive Order 14154 directs federal agencies to eliminate or revise regulations that limit oil, gas, and coal extraction on federal lands and waters, including the Outer Continental Shelf. It accelerates permitting processes for fossil fuel infrastructure, such as pipelines and refineries, while removing oversight mechanisms designed to mitigate environmental damage.
The order also revokes key executive orders focused on climate action, clean energy, and environmental justice, including Executive Order 13990, which reinstated environmental protections, and Executive Order 14008, which established a government-wide response to the climate crisis. Removing these policies weakens the federal government’s ability to address climate change and protect public health from pollution-related diseases.
Electric vehicles and renewable energy development are directly targeted.
Trump’s order eliminates what it calls the “electric vehicle (EV) mandate,” despite the fact that no such mandate exists. Instead, it revokes regulations and incentives designed to make EVs more affordable and accessible. It also directs agencies to eliminate state emissions waivers that allow states like California to enforce stronger vehicle pollution standards.
This order further weakens federal funding for renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and battery storage infrastructure. By doing so, it slows down the clean energy transition while ensuring continued reliance on fossil fuels, despite global trends moving in the opposite direction.
Consumer protections and energy efficiency standards are being dismantled.
The executive order repeals federal energy efficiency standards for household appliances, including dishwashers, washing machines, water heaters, and gas stoves. These standards were designed to reduce energy consumption, lower utility bills, and decrease carbon emissions. Rolling them back benefits manufacturers that produce less efficient appliances but ultimately increases costs for consumers through higher energy bills.
Scientific integrity is undermined by eliminating the social cost of carbon.
The order dissolves the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases, which provided science-based estimates of the economic damage caused by carbon emissions. By eliminating this metric, federal agencies will no longer be required to factor climate-related costs into their decision-making, making it easier to justify high-pollution projects. This move dismisses decades of scientific research linking carbon emissions to climate change, extreme weather events, and economic instability.
Federal climate and environmental justice programs are being defunded.
Trump’s order terminates the American Climate Corps and other federal programs aimed at addressing environmental injustice. These initiatives provided support to communities disproportionately affected by pollution, including low-income and Indigenous communities. Cutting these programs eliminates resources that were intended to protect public health and promote sustainable development in areas most vulnerable to climate change.
Who Wins?
Fossil Fuel Corporations and Lobbyists
Oil, gas, and coal companies stand to gain the most from this executive order. By eliminating regulations, fast-tracking permits, and rolling back environmental protections, these industries can expand operations with fewer legal and financial constraints. This order maximizes corporate profits while disregarding the long-term consequences of increased pollution and climate change.
Right-Wing Politicians and Climate Change Deniers
This order aligns with conservative efforts to dismantle environmental regulations and prioritize fossil fuel interests. It strengthens the political standing of politicians and organizations that oppose climate policies, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that reducing emissions is necessary to prevent environmental and economic disaster.
Industries Dependent on Outdated and Inefficient Technologies
By removing energy efficiency standards, this order benefits companies that continue to produce energy-wasting appliances and vehicles. These industries no longer have to meet higher standards, allowing them to sell less efficient products without competition from cleaner alternatives. However, this comes at the expense of long-term consumer savings and environmental sustainability.
Who Loses?
The Environment and Public Health
Rolling back environmental protections will result in increased pollution, lower air and water quality, and greater health risks for Americans. More exposure to pollutants means higher rates of asthma, respiratory illnesses, and other diseases, particularly in communities near industrial sites. Greenhouse gas emissions will also accelerate climate change, leading to more extreme weather events, wildfires, and rising sea levels.
Workers in the Clean Energy Industry
The renewable energy sector has been one of the fastest-growing job markets, providing employment in solar, wind, and battery storage. By cutting funding for clean energy programs and stalling investment in these industries, this order threatens job creation in sectors that offer long-term economic stability and global competitiveness.
Consumers and Low-Income Communities
By eliminating energy efficiency standards, this order increases household energy costs over time. Low-income communities, which already spend a larger portion of their income on utilities, will be disproportionately affected. Additionally, removing federal environmental justice programs will leave marginalized communities more vulnerable to pollution and climate-related disasters.
Future Generations
This executive order prioritizes short-term economic gains for the fossil fuel industry over the long-term health and security of future generations. Young people will inherit a world with worsening climate conditions, higher energy costs, and fewer opportunities for sustainable economic growth. The refusal to invest in clean energy and emissions reductions today will lead to greater economic and environmental instability in the decades to come.
Executive Order 14154 is a direct attack on environmental protections, climate policies, and consumer safeguards. While framed as an effort to promote energy independence, it is fundamentally a handout to fossil fuel corporations at the expense of public health and economic sustainability.
The science is clear: renewable energy is the future, and investing in clean energy technologies is the best path toward economic growth, energy security, and environmental protection. This order ignores these realities in favor of policies that benefit a select few industries while increasing pollution, raising costs for consumers, and undermining global efforts to combat climate change.
Take Action
Stay Informed and Challenge Misinformation
Misinformation is a key tool used to justify these rollbacks. Make sure to fact-check claims about energy production, climate science, and economic impacts. Reliable sources, including scientific organizations and independent research institutions, provide data-driven insights that counter misleading narratives.
Support Policies That Promote Clean Energy and Environmental Protection
Local and state governments still have the ability to enforce environmental protections and invest in renewable energy, even as federal policies shift. Support legislation and initiatives that prioritize sustainability, emissions reductions, and clean energy job creation.
Hold Elected Officials Accountable
Decisions made at the ballot box influence the future of climate and energy policy. Stay informed about where candidates and policymakers stand on environmental issues and vote accordingly. Engage with representatives to demand action on climate change and oppose policies that roll back protections.
The fight for clean energy, climate action, and environmental justice is far from over. Stay engaged, question misleading claims, and advocate for policies that protect both the planet and the people who depend on it.
