Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at advancing his promise to “Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said West Virginia is uniquely positioned to benefit from the new administration’s commitment to increasing American energy production.
“This will restore American prosperity — including for those men and women who have been forgotten by our economy in recent years,” Trump wrote in one of the orders. “It will also rebuild our nation’s economic and military security, which will deliver peace through strength.”
Morrisey, who has said his administration will closely align with Trump’s, said the policies would “grow West Virginia’s energy economy, produce good-paying jobs, and help the state achieve President Trump’s goal of becoming energy independent and energy dominant.”
“As America’s energy state, our nation’s energy independence begins right here in West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “To lead the way, we will partner with President Trump, unleash our full potential, and ultimately become energy dominant.”
Among the executive orders signed by Trump:
Chris Hamilton, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, said the group looks forward to working with the Trump administration to “make West Virginia the energy capital of America and the world.”
“President Trump has consistently demonstrated his dedication to coal and the hardworking men and women who mine it,” Hamilton said. “His America First energy policies during his first term revitalized the industry, rolling back burdensome regulations, restoring fair treatment of coal in energy markets, and giving our miners the respect they deserve.”
Capito, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Trump took “immediate and meaningful action” on energy policy.
“After four years of burdensome and costly regulations, I’m thankful that the White House is addressing Americans’ energy concerns by reducing bureaucratic red tape to build needed infrastructure and empower consumers,” she said. “We must continue to invest in affordable, reliable, and American-made energy, and I’m confident that under President Trump’s leadership, America will get back on track.”
To execute these policies, Trump has nominated former oil and gas executive Chris Wright to serve as secretary of energy. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked Wright whether he supports “embracing all the energy sources.”
Wright said he and Trump share the view that “energy is not just a sector of the economy; it is the economy.”
“Energy is core — it’s central,” Wright said. “We want energy from all sources we can that can add to the pile of affordable, reliable, secure American energy.”