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(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy will prioritize expanding energy production over achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to an order issued on Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The secretarial order is meant to align the department with priorities outlined by President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax and has vowed to maximize already record-high oil and gas output.
“Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security,” according to the order.
“Going forward, the Department’s goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance,” it said.
The order said the department would pursue plans Trump has already outlined to speed up energy permitting, strengthen grid resilience, expand nuclear power capacity, and refill the nation’s strategic crude oil stockpiles.
The order offered no new details on how these goals would be achieved.
Former President Joe Biden had set a target for the United States to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 to help fight climate change, in part by using subsidies to encourage an expansion of clean energy and electric vehicles.
During Biden’s tenure, U.S. oil and gas production also surged to record highs, fueled by improved drilling technology and high prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Jamie Freed
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