With President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at the helm, the U.S. Department of Energy reports a period of increased energy production and lower prices across several sectors.
The department credits recent policies for bringing gasoline prices to a four-year low, averaging about $2.90 per gallon, with projected consumer savings exceeding $500 million during the Christmas season. The United States is now producing oil at record levels, surpassing the combined output of Saudi Arabia and Russia at 24.2 million barrels per day, and matching the natural gas production levels of Russia, Iran, and China combined at 108 billion cubic feet per day.
On his first day in office, President Trump directed an end to restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports imposed by the previous administration. Since January, approvals have been granted for new LNG export capacity that exceeds current volumes exported by the world’s second-largest LNG exporter.
The Department states that prices for propane, kerosene, firewood, and fuel oil have also declined since President Trump took office. The Working Families Tax Cut has enabled efforts to refill and repair the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which officials say was depleted under prior leadership.
In May 2025, what is described as the largest deregulatory effort in department history was announced—proposing to eliminate 47 regulations estimated to save Americans $11 billion in costs. In March 2025, four conservation standards were withdrawn for products such as electric motors and ceiling fans; this move aims to reduce regulatory burdens and increase consumer choice.
Concerns over grid reliability led President Trump to declare a national energy emergency on his first day in office. An Energy Department report indicated that before this administration’s actions, projections showed a significant shortfall in reliable electricity generation with a potential hundredfold increase in blackouts within five years.
To address these risks, 16 emergency orders have been issued by DOE to maintain grid stability during extreme weather events or peak demand periods. Additionally, policy changes halted initiatives that could have closed more than 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power in the Columbia River Basin—a measure said to preserve enough generation capacity for about 2.5 million homes.
The department has also reallocated $365 million toward repairing Puerto Rico’s electrical grid following ongoing crises there and returned over $13 billion in unused funds originally designated for green initiatives from previous administrations back to the U.S. Treasury.
Efforts supporting coal include reversing shutdown plans for coal plants nationwide; more than 15 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity generation are expected to remain operational through year-end. Secretary Wright reinstated the National Coal Council and launched five initiatives aimed at modernizing coal technologies.
For nuclear energy development, DOE set goals to expand American nuclear capacity from approximately 100 GW in 2024 up to 400 GW by mid-century. Recent awards include $800 million granted jointly with TVA and Holtec for small modular reactor deployment; a $1 billion loan facilitated restarting a Pennsylvania nuclear plant providing an additional 850 megawatts; pilot projects have also been selected for advanced nuclear fuel lines and domestic uranium supply commitments have been made.
Supply chain security remains another focus area: In November 2025 DOE announced funding opportunities totaling $355 million for mineral extraction from industrial byproducts along with “Mine of the Future” proving grounds; another $134 million will support rare earth element recovery projects domestically.
DOE also restructured its loan agreement with Lithium Americas Corporation—terms now provide government equity via warrants as part of efforts supporting domestic lithium carbonate production—and continues partnerships between national laboratories and private industry on critical mineral extraction technologies.
National security modernization includes completion of manufacturing on new B61-13 gravity bombs ahead of schedule as well as concluding upgrades on W88 warheads used aboard Ohio-class submarines. Two new supercomputers were announced at Los Alamos National Laboratory intended to advance research capabilities related both to national security applications and artificial intelligence (AI).
On November 24th President Trump signed Executive Order 14363 tasking DOE with leading its Genesis Mission flagship AI initiative designed to combine private-sector expertise with departmental resources. In October DOE released its Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap outlining strategies toward commercializing nuclear fusion power nationally.
