CLIMATEWIRE | In just three days, President-elect Donald Trump is set to launch an offensive against the Biden administration’s climate policies.

The extent of the impact from his initial actions remains to be seen, yet Trump has unmistakably signaled that significant changes are on the horizon.

Upon assuming office, Trump is expected to enact between 50 to 100 executive orders, with more to follow in subsequent weeks, according to Stephen Moore, Trump’s senior economic adviser during his campaign. A primary focus will be dismantling the climate-centric executive order that President Joe Biden enacted shortly after his inauguration, Moore noted.

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“I expect many of these orders will target energy policies because Biden implemented much of his agenda through executive orders concerning energy,” Moore added. “This will involve canceling mandates on electric vehicles (EVs), loosening environmental regulations, and cutting funding for green energy initiatives.”

The Trump transition team has not provided comments on this matter.

Executive orders serve both as political statements and practical policies. Biden used his initial batch of orders to pivot the White House towards climate action, signaling his commitment to enhancing the clean energy sector and reducing carbon emissions as key objectives of his presidency.

While executive orders cannot alter existing laws or regulations, Trump is likely to attempt this, suggested David Hayes, a senior climate advisor in the Biden administration who was involved in drafting climate-related executive orders. Some of Trump’s initial orders may exceed their legal bounds and could be quickly entangled in legal challenges, Hayes explained.

“The President does not have the power to bypass the legally required procedures typically involved in a significant policy shift for an agency operating under a congressional mandate,” Hayes stated.

Some executive orders may transform into legislative goals for the GOP-majority Congress. Others could falter amid the diverse factions within Trump’s coalition, especially with the Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House.

An early point of conflict may be Trump’s plan to completely repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, a stance that is not supported by oil companies and at least 18 Republican House members.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised immediate and decisive action on oil and gas production. The executive orders he plans to issue soon are the initial steps in this direction, yet they are largely “symbolic,” according to Frank Maisano, a senior principal at Bracewell.

“These environmental and energy-focused executive orders will fundamentally be symbolic or set the agenda,” Maisano said. “The real work, the specifics of implementation, will need to follow.”

Here are some of the anticipated executive orders that could be issued shortly after Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Remove the White House Climate Advisor

Russell Vought, Trump’s choice to lead the Office of Management and Budget once again, was the mastermind behind Project 2025, a 900-page conservative policy framework developed by The Heritage Foundation. Over the past four years, Vought has prepared hundreds of executive orders for Trump’s potential enactment on day one.

One of these orders would abolish the position of White House climate advisor. Vought also proposes scrapping the Domestic Policy Council in the White House.

Instead, according to Project 2025, a senior aide would report directly to the incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to spearhead domestic and international energy and environmental policy initiatives. This aide’s role would include reducing climate and environmental regulations to maximize domestic oil and gas production with minimal constraints. They would also coordinate the efforts of various White House councils and offices related to environmental quality, science and technology, national security, economic policy, and domestic policy.

Start Dismantling EPA Power Plant Regulations

Early executive orders might also outline plans for undoing key components of Biden’s climate regulatory framework, including the EPA’s new pollution limits for power plants.

Last year, Biden’s EPA established stringent new standards for coal-fired power plants and newly constructed gas facilities. These regulations are currently being challenged in the industry, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia having heard arguments in December, though no decision has been issued yet.

Trump’s early directives could reveal how swiftly his administration intends to revoke and replace these standards, which rely on carbon capture and storage technologies that the fossil fuel industry claims are not yet viable.

Modify or Eliminate Methane Regulations

An executive order might also signal changes to EPA regulations designed to control methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas operations. Last year, the EPA set a standard supported by some industry groups, who nonetheless seek adjustments. Another target is an Interior Department regulation that aims to reduce gas flaring on federal lands.

The broader petroleum industry is particularly opposed to a new congressionally mandated fee on excessive methane, set to take effect this March based on last year’s emissions. The American Petroleum Institute, in its recent policy roadmap for a second Trump term, argued that the EPA’s implementation plan for this fee misinterprets Congressional intent and merely raises production costs for American oil and natural gas.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a bill on Tuesday to repeal the fee. Trump might support this effort by addressing it in an executive order.

The EPA under Trump is also expected to revise adjustments made by the Biden administration to greenhouse gas reporting rules for the oil and gas sector.

Focus on Electric Vehicles

Trump has vowed to end what he calls an electric vehicle “mandate” on his first day in office. While no actual mandate exists, Trump may issue an executive order indicating his plan to target the EPA’s recent vehicle regulations, which promote the use of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

He might also challenge California’s long-standing authority under the Clean Air Act to set its own standards for vehicle emissions. California’s Advanced Clean Car II plan, adopted by 11 other states and the District of Columbia, aims to phase out most gasoline-powered cars by the mid-2030s.

“Energy was a major issue in the recent election,” American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers told reporters during a conference call this week. “And the EV policies and other initiatives pursued by the Biden administration, I believe, were decisively rejected by the American electorate.”

Trump attempted to address these priorities during his first term, but progress was limited. Since then, EVs have expanded from a niche market to represent about 10 percent of new car sales. Although growth has slowed, a record number of electric models were sold in 2024.

Attempt to Reverse Fuel Economy Standards

Republicans and the oil industry have criticized the Department of Transportation’s decision to raise mileage requirements for cars and trucks, known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards.

During his first term, Trump attempted to roll back the Obama administration’s CAFE standards, and his supporters have urged him to do the same for the standards set by the Biden administration, which were finalized in June.

The new rules aim to increase the fleetwide average from nearly 47 miles per gallon in 2026 to 50.4 mpg by 2031. Trump’s nominee for Deputy Transportation Secretary, Steven Bradbury, has criticized these standards as “pure fantasy” and biased towards promoting electric vehicles.

An executive order could signal the start of an effort to reverse these standards.

Resume Issuing New LNG Export Permits

Trump has consistently promised to immediately lift a pause on new LNG export permits that the Biden administration imposed to conduct an economic and climate assessment. The resulting analysis, released last month, concluded that unrestricted exports would cause domestic prices to rise.

Trump has faced increasing pressure from industry leaders to act. The role of U.S. natural gas exports, particularly to China and U.S. allies, has been a prominent topic in confirmation hearings this week for several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, expressed hope that reversing the pause would be addressed on Day 1 by the Trump administration.

“This is another instance of Biden administration policies that seem extremely anti-energy,” he remarked during an event this week hosted by the American Petroleum Institute. “Positioning America as a major resource supplier, not only for domestic needs but also for our global allies, enhances global security and reduces dangers.”

The U.S. became the world’s largest LNG exporter during the Biden administration.

Withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement

Trump is expected to once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.

This would place the U.S. among a few countries not participating in the 2015 accord. The announcement of a Paris exit may be part of a Day 1 executive order. The Trump administration would then need to formally notify the United Nations of its intention to withdraw, a process that takes a year to finalize.

America’s initial departure from the agreement took months for Trump to announce, due to resistance from some of his close advisers and Cabinet members. This time, however, the president has not deliberated the benefits of remaining in the pact, and none of his advisers or Cabinet nominees seem to have influenced him to reconsider.

“Everyone supports the withdrawal,” stated Myron Ebell, who led Trump’s EPA transition team in 2017 and was a key advocate for the original Paris exit. He suggests that Trump should seek Senate approval for the agreement as a treaty, which is unlikely, to make the withdrawal more permanent.

Legal experts and former officials note that the U.S. negotiated the agreement such that the president could enter it as an executive agreement without needing the Senate’s advice and consent, a step that would be challenging given Republican opposition.

A withdrawal would mean the U.S. renouncing any commitments made under the agreement, including promises of climate aid to developing countries and the Biden administration’s recent pledge to reduce emissions by up to 66 percent by 2035.

Limit Wind Energy Development

During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month, Trump criticized wind energy projects, stating, “we’re going to try and implement a policy where no windmills are being built.”

These remarks underscore the incoming president’s intent to restrict wind energy development, especially for projects located offshore in federal waters. The specific nature of the executive order he might issue is still a topic of much speculation.

Many expect Trump to halt the leasing of new tracts of land and ocean for wind development and to pause reviews for projects currently under permit review. However, many of these projects are years away from construction, reducing the immediate impact of such orders.

The greater uncertainty is whether Trump will target projects that have already received federal permits and have started construction in some cases.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told The Associated Press that he discussed an executive order with Trump about a month ago that would pause offshore wind activities along the East Coast for six months to allow the Interior Department to review permits issued to projects.

Onshore wind projects face less risk because many are located on private or state land, but Trump could still impede developments on federal land.

Reporters Jean Chemnick, Mike Lee, Sara Schonhardt, and Benjamin Storrow contributed.

Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.