U.S. Department of Energy

12/18/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/18/2025 17:47

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Promises Made, Promises Kept

DOE is Delivering on President Trump's Agenda of American Energy Dominance.

Energy.gov

December 18, 2025
min minute read time

UNLEASHING THE GOLDEN ERA OF ENERGY DOMINANCE AND LOWERING PRICES

With President Trump and Secretary Wright's leadership, the Energy Department has ushered in an unprecedented era of energy dominance, resulting in record energy production and more affordable prices.

  • Thanks to President Trump, gas prices are at a 4-year low averaging about $2.90/gal. Savings for the American people will amount to over $500 million this Christmas.
  • Never before in America's history has our Nation been more energy dominant: Thanks to President Trump's policies, America leads the world in oil and natural gas production, producing at all-time records.
  • The U.S. now produces more oil than Saudia Arabia and Russia combined at 24.2 million barrels per day.
  • The U.S. now produces as much natural gas as Russia, Iran and China combined at 108 billion cubic feet per day.
  • On Day One, President Trump directed the Energy Department to end the Biden LNG export ban, delivering prosperity at home and peace abroad. Since January, The Energy Department has approved more LNG export capacity than the volume exported today by the world's second-largest LNG exporter.
  • Since President Trump took office, prices for propane, kerosene, firewood and fuel oil are all down.
  • Thanks to President Trump and the passage of the Working Families Tax Cut, the Energy Department is refilling and repairing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) after the Biden administration recklessly drained and damaged it for political purposes.
  • In May 2025, the Energy Department announced the largest deregulatory effort in the department's history, proposing the elimination of 47 regulations driving up costs for consumers, estimated to save Americans $11 billion in costs.
  • In March 2025, the Energy Department withdrew four conservation standards, including standards on electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and external power supplies, cutting red tape, restoring consumer choice and lowering costs for the American people.

PREVENTING BLACKOUTS AND REVERSING THE BIDEN ENERGY SUBTRACTION AGENDA

The previous administration's energy subtraction agenda threatened the reliability of the U.S. energy grid, which is why on Day One, President Trump declared a national energy emergency and made it a central mission of his administration to lower costs and stabilize the grid.

  • Under the Biden administration, there were plans to shutter coal, natural gas and hydro-powered electricity plants. An Energy Department report released earlier this year showed that before President Trump's election, America was on track to experience a massive shortfall of reliable electricity generation and 100 times more blackouts in the next five years.
  • Thanks to President Trump, the Energy Department is reversing those dangerous and costly energy subtraction policies. The Energy Department has issued 16 emergency orders, to maximize grid reliability, affordability and to keep power online and available that would have otherwise been shuttered. These emergency orders have been essential in keeping the lights on during periods of extreme weather and periods of peak demand.
  • Thanks to President Trump, the Energy Department halted the Biden Administration's radical anti-hydroelectricity policy in the Columbia River Basin, which could have led to the shutdown of more than 3,000 megawatts of affordable, reliable and secure hydroelectric power - enough generation to power about 2.5 million homes.
  • The Energy Department has provided overdue support to addressing Puerto Rico's grid crisis and delivering affordable, reliable, and secure energy to 3.2 million Puerto Ricans. In October 2025, the Energy Department reallocated $365 million in funding to help fix grid crisis and support commonsense repairs, helping more Puerto Ricans on a faster timeline.
  • In September 2025, the Energy Department cancelled more than $13 billion in unobligated funds that were appropriated to advance the previous Administration's wasteful Green New Scam agenda and returned these funds to the U.S. Treasury.

ENDING THE WAR ON BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL

While the last administration declared war on American coal, President Trump and DOE are fully committed to strengthening American coal-workers and coal's critical role in powering America.

  • Thanks to President Trump, wages for coal workers are up and coal plants across the country are reversing plans to shut down. By the end of the year, more than 15 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity generation will have been saved, strengthening grid reliability and affordability.
  • Following the President's Executive Order to "Reinvigorate America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry," Secretary Wright issued five initiatives to expand and modernize the coal industry and support emerging technologies.
  • The Energy Department reinstated the National Coal Council to provide expert guidance on the future of coal technologies and markets.

UNLEASHING THE NEXT AMERICAN NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE

For decades, the American nuclear industry has been smothered by bureaucratic red tape. Thanks to President Trump, the next American Nuclear Renaissance has arrived.

  • DOE has taken numerous actions to accelerate the development of next generation nuclear technology and restore domestic supply chains to accomplish President Trump's goal of expanding American nuclear energy capacity from approximately 100 GW in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050.
    • In December 2025, the Energy Department awarded $800 million to TVA and Holtec to advance deployment of U.S. small modular reactors.
    • In November 2025, the Energy Department announced it closed a $1 billion loan to accelerate the restart of a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant that will deliver 850 megawatts of electricity.
    • In September 2025, the Energy Department selected four companies for Advanced Nuclear Fuel Line Pilot Projects in order to strengthen domestic supply chains for nuclear fuel. 
    • In August 2025, the Energy Department made a second round of conditional commitments to provide high-assay low-enriched uranium to three U.S. companies to meet near-term fuel needs. 
    • In August 2025, the Energy Department announced the 11 initial selections for President Trump's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to move their technologies toward deployment. 
    • In July 2025, the Energy Department announced site selections for AI data center and energy infrastructure development on federal lands. 
    • In July 2025, the Energy Department announced the start of a new pilot program to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear reactors and strengthen domestic supply chains for nuclear fuel. 

ENSURING NATIONAL SECURITY BY REDUCING FOREIGN DEPENDENCE ON CRITICAL MINERALS

Thanks to President Trump, the Energy Department is reshoring American-made supply chains for critical minerals, making U.S. national security a priority by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign supply chains.

  • In November 2025, DOE announced $355 million in funding opportunities for American industrial facilities capable of producing valuable minerals from existing industrial and coal byproducts and to establish Mine of the Future proving grounds for real-world testing of next-generation mining technologies.
  • In December 2025, DOE announced $134 million in funding opportunities to enhance domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs), to support projects that will commercialize the recovering and refining of REEs from unconventional feedstocks.
  • The Energy Department announced it restructured a loan with Lithium Americas to further protect taxpayers and solidify the launch of the only domestic source of lithium carbonate here in America. The new terms provide the U.S. Government with 5% equity ownership in the form of Lithium America Corporation warrants.
  • DOE's national labs have been able to develop technologies to extract critical minerals and rare earth elements from coal waste, and is partnering with the private industry to commercialize and advance these technologies.

MODERNIZING AMERICA'S NUCLEAR DETERRENT

The Energy Department has prioritized national security by modernizing the U.S. nuclear enterprise that supports President Trump's Peace Through Strength Agenda. These actions have ended years of neglect to keep our Nation safe and strategic readiness.

ACCELERATING AMERICA'S SCIENTIFIC CAPABILITIES

The Department of Energy is accelerating America's scientific engine. This means that technological innovation is designed, tested, and built in America using the brightest minds.

  • On November 24, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14363 directing the Department of Energy to lead its flagship AI initiative-the Genesis Mission-a national project combining America's world-leading private-sector AI capabilities with DOE's scientific data, facilities and expertise.
  • DOE has already been working to accelerate science and innovation, to ensure U.S. has the technology to unleash the potential of harnessing nuclear fusion power in the U.S. In October 2025, DOE released its Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap (FS&T) Roadmap, as a national strategy to develop and commercialize nuclear fusion power in the most rapid, responsible time in history.
Energy Department Announces Collaboration Agreements with 24 Organizations to Advance the Genesis Mission
December 18, 2025

Media Inquiries:

(202) 586-4940 or [email protected]

Read more at the
energy.gov Newsroom

U.S. Department of Energy published this content on December 18, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 18, 2025 at 23:47 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]