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US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC on November 13, 2024.

Allison Robbert | AFP | Getty Images

The oil and gas industry has a “to do” list for President-elect Donald Trump.

The lobby group American Petroleum Institute has asked Trump to swiftly authorize liquified natural gas exports, expand drilling on federal lands, make pipeline permitting easier, repeal strict vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards, and keep current corporate tax rates in place.

This five-point roadmap is how the industry sees Trump’s three-word slogan “drill, baby, drill” translating into concrete policy. Trump told NBC News in an interview that aired Sunday that he intends to sign executive orders related to energy when he takes office on Jan. 20, without providing further detail.

Trump is setting up a National Energy Council that he says will oversee a path to U.S. energy dominance by cutting red tape. His pick for interior secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, will chair the council and also have a seat on the National Security Council.

The council will consist of all federal agencies involved in permitting, production, generation, distribution and regulation of energy, Burgum said in a statement after Trump selected him for the position.

“What they are envisioning for the Energy Council is the whole-of-government approach for energy security,” API President Mike Sommers said of the incoming administration. The council should focus on making sure enough infrastructure and production is in place to protect U.S. energy security for the next 25 years, Sommers said.

Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, will also serve on the council. The president-elect’s selection of Burgum and Wright indicates the administration intends to slash regulation deeply, according Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, an energy research firm.

Burgum and Wright are associated with smaller, independent oil and gas companies that prefer deeper deregulation because compliance weighs on them more than the bigger players, Book said.

Wright’s Liberty Energy is a relatively small oilfield services firm with a market capitalization of $2.8 billion. Burgum leads a state in which fossil fuel production makes up a significant portion of its gross domestic product and many of the oil and gas operators are smaller companies, Book said.

“You probably find a more independent oil and gas company voice in the selection of Chris Wright for energy secretary and with probably a deeper deregulatory bent as a consequence,” Book said. It is probably safe to say Burgum shares this view, the analyst said.

More LNG exports, drilling

The stated mission of Trump’s council is energy dominance, but the U.S. has been producing more oil than any country in history for six years in a row now, according to Department of Energy data. And the U.S. was the world’s largest exporter of natural gas in 2023, according to DOE data.

Book believes the incoming Trump administration is making a play to further increase the U.S. share of the global oil and gas market against OPEC and other producers.

“The question is what can this council actually do to improve market share, to improve the U.S. competitive position relative to other hydrocarbon producers in the world,” the analyst said.

API wants Trump to lift the pause on new LNG export projects on his first day in office and quickly process pending applications to export LNG. The Biden administration imposed the pause to review the environmental and economic impact of LNG exports.

The group also wants the incoming administration to increase federal leases to develop offshore and onshore oil and gas patches in New Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

The Biden administration offered the fewest offshore oil and gas leases in U.S. history under a plan that allowed companies to drill in a maximum of three new areas exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico through 2029, according to the Interior Department.

“These are 30- to 40-year production leases,” Sommers said. “We need that inventory now so that we can continue to produce for the future.”

More leases to develop production may increase supplies over the medium to long term, but investment decisions ultimately depend on the supply and demand fundamentals in the oil market, said Bob McNally, who served as an energy advisor to President George W. Bush.

Presidents can “kneecap production” by making bad policy choices, but there’s little they can do to increase output quickly, McNally said.

“In the grand scheme of things, how much gets invested in production depends a lot more on the price of oil, which the president has virtually no control over,” McNally said.

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New DOE report finds 90% of wind turbine materials are recyclable

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New DOE report finds 90% of wind turbine materials are recyclable

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released an encouraging new report revealing that 90% of wind turbine materials are already recyclable using existing infrastructure, but tackling the remaining 10% needs innovation.

That’s why the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has allocated over $20 million to develop technologies that address these challenges.

Why this matters

The wind energy industry is growing rapidly, but questions about what happens to turbines at the end of their life are critical. Recyclable wind turbines means not only less waste but also a more affordable and sustainable energy future.

According to Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, “The US already has the ability to recycle most wind turbine materials, so achieving a fully sustainable domestic wind energy industry is well within reach.”

The report, titled, “Recycling Wind Energy Systems in the United States Part 1: Providing a Baseline for America’s Wind Energy Recycling Infrastructure for Wind Turbines and Systems,” identifies short-, medium-, and long-term research, development, and demonstration priorities along the life cycle of wind turbines. Developed by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with help from Oak Ridge and Sandia National Laboratories, the findings aim to guide future investments and technological innovations.

What’s easily recyclable and what’s not

The bulk of a wind turbine – towers, foundations, and steel-based drivetrain components – is relatively easy to recycle. However, components like blades, generators, and nacelle covers are tougher to process.

Blades, for instance, are often made from hard-to-recycle materials like thermoset resins, but switching to recyclable thermoplastics could be a game changer. Innovations like chemical dissolution and pyrolysis could make blade recycling more viable in the near future.

Critical materials like nickel, cobalt, and zinc used in generators and power electronics are particularly important to recover.

Key strategies for a circular economy

To make the wind energy sector fully sustainable, the DOE report emphasizes the adoption of measures such as:

  • Better decommissioning practices – Improving how turbine materials are collected and sorted at the end of their life cycle.
  • Strategic recycling sites – Locating recycling facilities closer to where turbines are decommissioned to reduce costs and emissions.
  • Advanced material substitution – Using recyclable and affordable materials in manufacturing.
  • Optimized material recovery Developing methods to make recovered materials usable in second-life applications.

Looking ahead

The DOE’s research also underscores the importance of regional factors, such as the availability of skilled workers and transportation logistics, in building a cost-effective recycling infrastructure. As the US continues to expand its wind energy capacity, these findings provide a roadmap for minimizing waste and maximizing sustainability.

More information about the $20 million in funding available through the Wind Turbine Technology Recycling Funding Opportunity can be found here. Submission deadline is February 11.

Read more: The California grid ran on 100% renewables with no blackouts or cost rises for a record 98 days


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Mazda finally reveals plans to build its first dedicated EV: Here’s what we know so far

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Mazda finally reveals plans to build its first dedicated EV: Here's what we know so far

Mazda is finally stepping up with plans to build its first dedicated EV. The upcoming Mazda EV will be made in Japan and based on a new in-house platform. Here’s what we know about it so far.

The first dedicated Mazda EV is coming soon

Although Mazda isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when you think of electric vehicles, the Japanese automaker is finally taking a step in the right direction.

Mazda revealed on Monday that it plans to build a new module pack plant in Japan for cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells.

The new plant will use Panasonic Energy’s battery cells to produce modules and EV battery packs. Mazda plans to have up to 10 GWh of annual capacity at the facility. The battery packs will power Mazda’s first dedicated EV, which will also be built in Japan using a new electric vehicle platform.

Mazda said it’s “steadily preparing for electrification technologies” under its 2030 Management Plan. The strategy calls for a three-phase approach through 2030.

The first phase calls for using its existing technology. In the second stage, Mazda will introduce a new hybrid system and EV-dedicated vehicles in China.

Mazda-first-dedicted-EV
Mazda EZ-6 electric sedan (Source: Changan Mazda)

The third and final phase calls for “the full-fledged launch” of EVs and battery production. By 2030, Mazda expects EVs to account for 25% to 40% of global sales.

Mazda launched the EZ-6, an electric sedan, in China last October. It starts at 139,800 yuan, or around $19,200, and is made by its Chinese joint venture, Changan Mazda.

Mazda-first-dedicted-EV
Mazda EZ-6 electric sedan (Source: Changan Mazda)

Based on Changan’s hybrid platform, the electric sedan is offered in EV and extended-range (EREV) options. The all-electric model gets up to 600 km (372 miles) CLTC range with fast charging (30% to 80%) in 15 minutes.

At 4,921 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,485 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,895 mm, Mazda’s EZ-6 is about the size of a Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm long, 1,922 mm wide, and 1,441 mm tall with a 2,875 mm wheelbase).

Mazda-first-dedicted-EV-interior
Mazda EZ-6 interior (Source: Changan Mazda)

Inside, the electric sedan features a modern setup with a 14.6″ infotainment, a 10.1″ driver display screen, and a 50″ AR head-up display. It also includes zero-gravity reclining seats and smart features like voice control.

The EZ-6 is already off to a hot sales start, with 2,445 models sold in November. According to Changan Mazda, the new EV was one of the top three mid-size new energy vehicle (NEV) sedans of joint ventures sold in China in its first month listed.

Will Mazda’s first dedicated EV look like the EZ-6? We will find out with Mazda aiming to launch the first EV models on its new in-house platform in 2027. Stay tuned for more.

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Trump says he will revoke Biden offshore drilling ban on first day in office

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Trump says he will revoke Biden offshore drilling ban on first day in office

A view of offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the Pacific Ocean on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. 

Mario Tama | Getty Images

President-Elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will reverse President Joe Biden‘s ban on offshore drilling along most of the U.S. coastline as soon as he takes office.

“I’m going to have it revoked on day one,” Trump said at a news conference, though he indicated that reversing the ban might require litigation in court.

Biden announced Monday that he would protect 625 million acres of ocean from offshore oil and gas drilling along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea. The president issued the ban through a provision of the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

An order by Trump attempting to reverse the ban will likely end up in court and could ultimately be struck down.

During his first term, Trump tried to issue an executive order to reverse President Barack Obama’s use of the law to protect waters in the Arctic and Atlantic from offshore drilling. A federal court ultimately ruled that Trump’s order was not lawful and reversing the ban would require an act of Congress.

The Republican Party has a majority in both chambers of the new Congress.

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