The Biden-Harris administration spent four years waging war on American energy.
Now Donald Trump’s team is fighting back with a vengeance.
And Doug Burgum just unleashed a bombshell energy plan that has environmentalists trembling.
Interior Department dismantles Biden’s solar and wind favoritism scheme
Radical green activists are having a complete meltdown today after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to rescind a controversial Biden-era rule that gave unfair advantages to solar and wind energy companies operating on federal lands.
The Biden administration’s "Rights-of-Way, Leasing, and Operations for Renewable Energy" rule (89 Fed. Reg. 35634), pushed through on May 1, 2024, slashed rates for so-called "intermittent energy" projects – solar and wind farms – while imposing harsh restrictions on oil, gas, and critical minerals development.
Burgum isn’t mincing words about the change, calling out the previous administration’s "preferential treatment of unaffordable, unreliable ‘intermittent’ projects" while promising to "restore balance" to America’s energy landscape.
"This step will strengthen our energy independence and ensure taxpayers get the maximum return from the responsible use of our public lands," Burgum declared in Wednesday’s announcement.
The move represents a major shift in how the federal government approaches energy development on the millions of acres of public lands it manages across the country.
Trump’s energy dominance strategy takes shape
The policy reversal is part of President Trump’s broader "American Energy Dominance" agenda, outlined in Executive Order 14154 "Unleashing American Energy," which he signed on his first day in office, January 20, 2025.
In the wide-ranging executive order, Trump declared it the policy of the United States to "encourage energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters" and ensure that "all regulatory requirements related to energy are grounded in clearly applicable law."
Secretary Burgum’s move to rescind the renewable energy rule is just one of dozens of regulatory actions mandated by Secretary’s Order 3418, which implemented Trump’s executive order. That order specifically identified the "Rights-of-Way, Leasing, and Operations for Renewable Energy" rule as a target for elimination.
Team Trump is turning the page on the Biden years. Gone are the days when windmills and solar panels got the red carpet while oil workers got pink slips.
"We won’t be begging foreigners for energy," Trump snapped during his victory lap with oil executives last month.
Biden’s war on American energy hit roughnecks and coal miners hard. Now, Burgum and the rest of Trump’s cabinet are charging ahead with their promise to tear up the old playbook. By tearing down what Burgum called "excessive, one-sided restrictions" on drilling and mining, they hope to jumpstart the energy jobs that disappeared over the last four years.
"American workers lost family-supporting jobs because radical environmentalists controlled energy policy," said one senior administration official who requested anonymity to speak freely. "That era is over."
Massive regulatory rollback underway
The renewable energy rule is just one of many regulations targeted for elimination or revision in Burgum’s February 3 Secretary’s Order. Other major rules on the chopping block include:
● "Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process" (April 23, 2024)
● "Conservation and Landscape Health" (May 9, 2024)
● "Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska" (May 7, 2024)
● "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (April 10, 2024)
The order also directs officials to review and potentially reinstate oil and gas leases that were canceled during the Biden administration, including controversial leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Interior Department insiders say this regulatory overhaul represents the most significant shift in federal land management policy in decades.
Environmentalists predict apocalypse (again)
The announcement sent shockwaves through environmental groups, who immediately began predicting ecological disaster.
"This is nothing short of a declaration of war on our clean energy future," said Sierra Club Executive Director Dan Chu in a hastily released statement. "The administration is putting polluter profits ahead of our planet’s future."
Climate activist groups have vowed to challenge the rule change through legal action, though experts note they face an uphill battle with the current makeup of the federal courts.
Energy industry representatives, meanwhile, praised the decision as long overdue.
"For too long, the deck has been stacked against traditional energy producers on federal lands," said American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers. "This creates a level playing field where all energy sources can compete fairly."
All-of-the-above energy approach
Despite accusations from the environmental lobby, the Interior Department emphasized that the change doesn’t ban renewable energy on public lands – it simply removes the special treatment they received under the previous administration.
This approach aligns with Trump’s directive in Executive Order 14154 to "ensure that, unless required by law, applicable existing or new rules, guidance, and policies relating to the development of energy resources on Federal land do not bias government or private-sector decision making in favor of renewable energy projects as compared to oil, gas, or other mineral resource projects."
"This administration believes in an all-of-the-above energy approach," a senior Interior Department official told reporters during a background briefing. "We’re not picking winners and losers like the previous administration. We’re letting the market work while ensuring Americans have access to reliable, affordable energy."
Officials noted that solar and wind projects can still be developed on federal lands, but they’ll now compete on equal footing with other energy sources.
The proposed rescission will now undergo review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs before being published in the Federal Register for public comment.
This rule change is just the beginning of what promises to be a complete transformation of federal energy policy. Secretary Burgum’s order requires officials to develop an action plan within 15 days that addresses every aspect of the department’s energy and natural resource programs.
One policy analyst familiar with the administration’s plans suggested that Interior Department employees who don’t support the new direction should "start updating their resumes."
Industry analysts expect the rule change to unlock billions in potential energy development across western states where the federal government controls significant land.
For working-class Americans struggling with high energy costs, the policy shift offers hope that relief might finally be on the horizon.