One Year of Getting It Right
You know what’s refreshing? Results you can actually see at the pump.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum isn’t mincing words as he celebrates the first anniversary of President Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council. The numbers tell a story that Biden’s team spent four years trying to deny: American energy works best when government gets out of the way.
“Under the President’s leadership and through the Council’s relentless execution, we have delivered historic gains in energy production, affordability, and security,” Burgum told Fox News Digital. He’s not throwing around abstract policy jargon here. He’s talking about real money staying in real pockets.
Gasoline prices have dropped to levels we haven’t seen in years. Permitting that used to take forever now moves at a reasonable pace. American energy exports are climbing. These aren’t campaign promises or bureaucratic projections. They’re measurable outcomes that affect every single person who drives to work, heats their home, or buys groceries transported by truck.
When Government Steps Aside, Markets Deliver
The contrast with the previous administration couldn’t be starker. Biden’s energy policy read like a wish list from coastal elites who’ve never worried about filling up their tank on a tight budget. Regulations piled on regulations. Permits delayed and delayed again. A war on fossil fuels that ignored basic economic reality and punished working families in the process.
Trump signed the executive order creating the National Energy Dominance Council on February 14, 2024. The name itself tells you everything. Not the “Energy Transition Advisory Board” or the “Sustainable Future Committee.” Dominance. Because that’s what America should have in energy markets, and there’s no reason to apologize for it.
The council’s approach is straightforward: maximize production, cut red tape, and let American innovation do what it does best. Free markets don’t need a thousand regulators micromanaging every decision. They need clear rules and then freedom to operate.
Real Savings for Real People
Burgum emphasizes something politicians often forget. “These achievements are not abstract,” he said. “They mean real savings for families, farmers, and small businesses, and they are strengthening our position on the world stage.”
That last part matters more than most people realize. Energy independence isn’t just about economics. It’s about national security. When America produces its own energy, we’re not beholden to Middle Eastern dictators or hostile regimes. We’re not funding adversaries while claiming to oppose them. We’re standing on our own two feet.
Farmers pay less for diesel to run equipment. Small businesses see lower utility bills. Families have more money left over after filling the tank. These aren’t minor improvements. For people living paycheck to paycheck, a few dollars saved at the pump each week adds up fast.
The numbers back up the rhetoric. Production is up. Prices are down. Exports are surging. In just months, Trump’s policies have outperformed four years of Biden’s energy agenda. That should tell you something about the difference between ideology and pragmatism.
Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers
There’s a broader principle at work here. When government trusts markets and respects property rights, prosperity follows. When bureaucrats decide they know better than millions of individual actors making daily decisions, things get expensive and inefficient fast.
The Biden years proved that lesson again. Well-meaning regulations strangled production. Grand plans for renewable energy ignored the reality that solar panels and wind turbines can’t yet replace baseload power from natural gas and coal. Americans paid the price in higher costs and reduced reliability.
Trump’s approach recognizes something simple: energy abundance creates prosperity. Scarcity creates poverty and dependence. You can dress up scarcity with fancy language about sustainability and transitions, but families struggling to pay bills don’t care about your ten-year plan. They care about this month’s electric bill.
The Path Forward
One year in, the National Energy Dominance Council has delivered tangible results. The question now is whether these gains can be sustained and expanded. Streamlined permitting needs to become permanent, not just an executive order away from reversal. Production increases need infrastructure to support them. Export capacity must keep growing.
But the foundation is solid. When you start with the right principles, good policy follows. Individual liberty means property owners can develop resources. Limited government means regulators don’t strangle innovation. Free markets mean prices reflect supply and demand, not political preferences.
American energy dominance isn’t a slogan. It’s a strategy that works. The first year proves it. Now let’s see how far we can take it.
Related: Four Hundred Billion Dollars in Drug Manufacturing Returns to United States
A federal judge just handed Delaware a stinging defeat in what amounts to a masterclass…
Let's talk about what happens when immigration enforcement becomes optional and our borders turn into…
There's something almost brazen about watching Keisha Lance Bottoms march toward the Georgia governor's mansion…
The Justice Department just dropped a lawsuit on Connecticut and the city of New Haven,…
Here's what happens when you think you're too big to fail. ActBlue, the Democratic Party's…
President Trump says the war with Iran is "close to over," but if you're watching…