One year of offensive against renewables: the energy shift under the Trump administration
January 24, 2026
“Drill, baby, drill” — the rallying cry of his first campaign — returned with Donald Trump as he took office again in January 2025. From the very start, the president made it clear that renewable energy would take a back seat to fossil fuels. In his inauguration speech, Trump rejected the Green New Deal, vowed to roll back electric vehicle mandates, and promised a renewed push for oil, gas, and coal, framing it as the key to lowering energy costs and restoring American energy independence.
Fossil Fuels Take Center Stage
Within his first 45 days, Trump declared a national energy emergency, expedited permits for oil and gas projects, and suspended permits for new offshore wind farms. Biden-era regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions were revoked, and the United States formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement. Federal restrictions on drilling in Alaska were lifted, and more than 625 million acres of offshore waters were reopened to oil and gas exploration.
Shortly after returning to the White House for a second term, Trump once again ordered the United States to exit the Paris Agreement, the international pact aimed at coordinating global action against climate change. Recently, the administration went even further, severing ties with broader international climate efforts by withdrawing the country from key global bodies, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), effectively cutting off U.S. participation in multilateral climate governance.
While fossil fuels gained momentum, renewables began to face mounting obstacles. In April, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered a halt to construction at the Empire Wind 1 offshore project, citing the need for a new environmental review. In August, the administration imposed a 50% tariff on imported wind turbines and parts, dramatically increasing costs for projects in development. Just days afterward, work on the Revolution Wind offshore project was suspended despite being over 80% complete. Once operational, it would have delivered enough clean energy for more than 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Renewables Under Pressure, Solar Still Grows
Federal funding was also redirected away from wind energy. In September, $679 million previously allocated to twelve offshore wind projects was withdrawn or canceled, with officials citing the need to strengthen the nation’s maritime industry and core infrastructure.
Meanwhile, coal and nuclear power were elevated as policy priorities. DOE approved a $1 billion loan to restart a nuclear plant, launched programs to extract critical minerals from coal waste, and invested $800 million in small modular reactors. By January 2026, the administration claimed to have prevented the closure of more than 17 GW of coal-fired capacity and announced a $2.7 billion investment to expand domestic uranium enrichment.
Even as federal policy favored fossil fuels, U.S. solar manufacturing boomed. By October, 65 new or expanded solar and storage facilities had begun operating, bringing $4.5 billion in private investment. Domestic capacity for solar modules surpassed 60 GW, solar cell production more than tripled, and battery storage reached 21 GWh — enough to power the city of Houston overnight. Yet industry leaders warned that federal tariffs and regulatory uncertainty threatened more than 100 planned factories and $31 billion in investment.
Legal Battles and Uncertainty for Offshore Wind
The year closed with a dramatic intervention in offshore wind. On December 22, the Department of Interior issued stop-work orders for all five major projects under construction, citing national security concerns in a classified report. Projects affected included Revolution Wind, Empire, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Vineyard Wind. Courts quickly intervened, granting preliminary injunctions that allowed some projects to resume, but the episode underscored the legal and political uncertainty now surrounding the U.S. offshore wind sector.
By the end of 2025, the contrast was stark. Fossil fuels and nuclear power were elevated as pillars of national energy policy, receiving loans, regulatory support, and federal investment. Renewable energy, meanwhile, faced suspensions, tariffs, funding withdrawals, and regulatory scrutiny that slowed deployment and increased uncertainty. Even as U.S. solar manufacturing expanded at record pace, the policy environment threatened to undercut that growth and shift investment overseas.
Trump’s first year back in office illustrates a dramatic pivot in American energy policy: while innovation and industrial growth continue in renewables, federal policy has decisively tilted the playing field toward coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. The long-term consequences for U.S. energy independence, economic competitiveness, and climate commitments remain uncertain — and will likely define the next phase of the country’s energy debate.
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