Valerie Thomas, Ga Institute of Technology
The U.S. is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country. What roles did the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations play in this surge?
The answer might surprise you, given the way each has publicly addressed fossil fuels: former President Donald Trump embraced them, while President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reducing fossil fuel use to fight climate change.
Under each of the three most recent presidencies, U.S. oil and gas production was higher at the end of the administration’s term than at the beginning.
That production has both pros and cons. Oil and gas account for nearly three-quarters of U.S. energy consumption. Producing oil and gas domestically provides energy security and helps keep prices down. However, burning oil and gas releases carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change, and natural gas is mostly methane – a potent greenhouse gas.
Both the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations supported additional oil and gas drilling but also took actions to restrict it.
Trump, aggressively pro-fossil fuels, expanded drilling opportunities. The federal government leased more land for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and Utah wilderness areas. Trump also urged agencies to waive environmental reviews and loosen regulations to speed up permits for pipeline construction and other infrastructure.
The Trump administration opened more U.S. coastal waters for oil and gas leasing but later banned coastal drilling for 10 years in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Opposition to drilling in those states threatened several Republican candidates’ 2020 election bids.
The Biden-Harris administration focused on clean energy and climate change. It issued regulations targeting fossil fuels, including efforts to reduce methane leaks and increase royalties for drilling on federal lands. In 2021, it issued a moratorium on new federal leases for oil and gas, but that was blocked by a federal judge.
However, Biden’s administration approved ConocoPhillips’ Willow project, the nation’s largest oil drilling operation in Alaska. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Biden’s signature climate law, also included oil and gas leasing and incentives for capturing carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery.
When land is leased for drilling, production takes time to begin. Increased oil and gas production during the Biden administration is partly due to leases issued during the Trump administration. Trump auctioned off the leases, and the Biden administration signed the permits.
Global events have also influenced production. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced U.S. oil demand in 2020. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 increased energy demand from Europe. However, the U.S. has limited natural gas export capacity, and gas has to be liquefied for overseas shipping. The Biden-Harris administration paused approvals for additional liquefied natural gas terminals in 2024, but a federal judge blocked the move.
Drilling technology has been a key driver of the industry’s success. U.S. oil production peaked in 1970 and declined for more than three decades, as it was widely believed the U.S. had tapped its best reservoirs. But in the early 2000s, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling opened up previously unreachable fossil fuels, driving a surge in oil and gas production since 2009.
The decrease in coal production is a major reason U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have fallen, even as fossil fuel production rises. Renewable energy production and efficiency improvements have also helped cut emissions.
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