About the Energy Pathways Series

President Donald Trump ran for a second term on an “energy abundance” agenda. He promised to unleash American energy by ramping up drilling and permitting on public lands, easing regulatory burden for energy companies, and lifting the pause on export authorizations for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. This message appealed to companies and policymakers who see U.S. fossil fuel production and exports as a source of economic advantage and geopolitical strength.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced critical policy support for renewable energy, clean energy manufacturing, and many related industries. Manufacturing investment soared as companies took advantage of new tax incentives. But many of these policies have now been reversed.

In July 2025, the Trump administration passed H.R. 1 or the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which removed or scaled back tax credits for wind energy, solar energy, electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing, and other technologies. The bill retained more support for nuclear energy, geothermal, and hydrogen.

These changes have important implications for the evolution of the U.S. energy system—especially as the prospect of strong demand is raising the stakes for near-term planning for all energy sources, from natural gas to nuclear to renewable energy. There is bipartisan concern about supplying the energy required for strategically important industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductor fabrication, and advanced manufacturing. Booming demand from data centers is expected to be a major contributor to electricity load growth in the coming decade, although there is a robust debate over the scale of likely demand increases. Recent legislative changes could undercut some of the fastest-growing sources of electricity.  

The regulatory climate for many industries is also changing under the Trump administration. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed “the biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” potentially affecting rules for power plants, vehicles, and oil and gas operators. The combination of legislative action and regulatory changes will have wide-ranging implications for energy investments and competitiveness.

To examine these changes, the Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis (CEESA) has launched a series called Energy Pathways: Washington Policy and the Evolving Energy System.