WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to promote surging U.S. exports of oil and natural gas during a week of events to highlight the country’s growing energy production.
Trump plans to emphasize that after decades of relying on foreign energy supplies, the U.S. is on the brink of becoming a net exporter of oil, gas, coal and other energy resources.
As with previous White House policy-themed weeks, such as a recent one focusing on infrastructure, this week’s effort is designed to draw attention to Trump’s domestic priorities and away from more politically treacherous matters, such as the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump is returning to familiar territory — and to the coal, oil, and gas industries on which he’s already lavished attention. Trump’s first major policy speech during his campaign last year, delivered in the oil-drilling hotbed of North Dakota, focused on his plan to unleash domestic energy production. The issue has also been a major focus of Trump’s first five months in office, as he set in motion the reversal of a variety of policies that discourage the production and consumption of fossil fuels.
[PRESIDENT TRUMP: Timeline, appointments, executive orders + guide to actions in first 100 days]
Plans for the week were described by senior White House officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Trump on Thursday is to deliver a speech at the Energy Department, focused almost entirely on energy exports — describing how the sale of U.S. natural gas, oil and coal helps to strengthen the country’s influence, bolster international alliances, and help stabilize global markets. Energy Secretary Rick Perry may touch on similar themes when he speaks Tuesday with analysts and executives at the U.S. Energy Information Administration conference in Washington.
“The fact that we’re no longer in the age of energy scarcity — that we’re in the age of energy abundance — positions the United States in a totally different place,” said Dave Banks, a special assistant to the president for international energy. “This gives access to affordable, reliable energy in the United States and gives the U.S. a major competitive advantage.”