Where do GOP presidential candidates stand on energy policy? Common themes have emerged

In the past few years, America has seen high inflation rates and a faltering economy that some observers say will go into a recession. The latest conflict in the Middle East could likely pose a significant disruption in global energy supplies. Where the GOP contenders stand on energy policies will likely weigh heavily on voters’ decisions in 2024.

Just The News highlights the key points the top Republican candidates have made with regard to energy policy during their campaigns.

Donald Trump

When former President Donald Trump, the current leader in the 2024 presidential race, sat down with Association of Mature American Citizens’ (AMAC) Rebecca Weber and Just The News’ John Solomon, he said that at the end of his term in 2020, America was energy independent.

“We didn't need anybody's energy. We didn't have to give them arms or armies. We didn't have to guard anybody. We didn't have to keep the Gulf open. We were totally set,” Trump said.

In another six months, Trump said, the U.S. would have been energy dominant, meaning it would be the largest producer and exporter of oil and gas in the world. Trump told Weber and Solomon that unleashing American oil is key to the country’s economic prosperity.

Under another Trump administration, America’s energy sector would drive a strong economy, he said. The revenues that would come from the oil and gas industry would address any social security shortfalls and the $33.6 trillion national debt.

“If you look at the balance sheet of Saudi Arabia and some of these countries, and you say, ‘do you have debt?’ They look at you. They don't know what the word ‘debt’ means,” Trump said.

He is also highly critical of the push for an energy transition away from fossil fuels, as well as other climate-related energy policies: “The Green New Deal is the destruction of our country,” he said.

Trump said he would also reverse electric vehicle (EV) mandates and open up auto manufacturing to all types of vehicles, including electric. This would protect auto worker jobs, he said.

“I guarantee almost every auto worker is going to be voting for Trump, because we're going to reinvigorate our automobile business,” Trump said.

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Weber and Solomon that, if elected, he would improve the U.S. economy with “full-scale production of oil and gas.”

“We are going to lower inflation by spending less money with Congress, by getting Biden-nomics off the backs of the economy, particularly small businesses, and by opening up American domestic energy production,” DeSantis said.

He said the U.S. has more oil and gas reserves than anywhere else in the world, and by opening up public lands to full energy development, the revenues would address the national debt and ensure social security is funded.

This would include reactivating the Keystone XL pipeline and opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve to development. These actions would create jobs and strengthen America’s industrial base, he said. DeSantis said that if elected, he would use emergency powers to accelerate the permitting of energy projects, such as pipelines.

“If we had a pipeline from the Marcellus Shale and Pennsylvania to some of the places on the East Coast, we'd be able to export enormous amounts of liquefied natural gas,” DeSantis added.

By achieving energy dominance, DeSantis said, America would be strong in the face of any threats from China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

He said that climate change is being used as a pretext to push policies Democrats want passed, and that a Green New Deal would be a “disaster.”

As president, he says he would encourage natural gas use and production as a means to lower emissions, which would provide reliable and affordable energy, unlike renewables.

“We are not going to be able to power this country or power the world on windmills. We're just not going to be able to do it,” DeSantis said.

Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, spoke about her campaign with John Solomon on the "Just The News, No Noise” television show in March.

Haley says she puts national security high on her list of priorities, and her energy policies are part of that platform. “Energy is the path to security in these dangerous times. It's high time we stopped moving backwards and started moving forward toward a stronger and safer United States,” she told Just The News.

During her speech at The American Energy Security Summit in September, Haley said her goal is to make America the largest producer and exporter of energy in the world. If elected, she said, she wouldn’t demonize energy companies.

“My goal isn't just energy independence, though we should always have that. My goal is to make energy dominant,” Haley said in her speech.

If elected, she said, she would get Washington out of the way of energy development by fast-track permitting for new projects. “If we could build the Pentagon in 16 months, we can approve the Keystone pipeline in 60 minutes,” Haley said at the summit.

Making America healthier and more prosperous, the candidate explained, requires the U.S. to use more energy, not less. This would put America in a better position against its enemies, she continued.

“China isn't the only country I'll hold accountable. I'll stand up to every enemy that uses energy against us. Russia, Iran and Venezuela are using their oil to advance their evil,” Haley said.

Haley added that because China is a dominant supplier of critical minerals needed for solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles, policies seeking to transition away from fossil fuels ultimately strengthen the communist country.

Vivek Ramaswamy

American entrepreneur and Yale Law School graduate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign describes him as a Washington outsider and CEO, who would bring that experience to the energy discussion.

If elected, he told Weber and Solomon, he would shut down redundant government agencies, which includes the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Combine that with my energy policies: drill, frack, burn coal, embrace nuclear energy. Use the wealth underneath the ground in our own country. That's how we address the national debt problem,” Ramaswamy said.

During a Fox News presidential candidate debate, Ramaswamy said that federal regulations are what’s holding back American energy production, and that by reversing that, he could put people back to work and solve a number of problems.

“The only war that I will declare as U.S. President will be the war on the federal administrative state that is the source of those toxic regulations acting like a wet blanket on the economy,” Ramaswamy said.

He also stated that policies to address climate change are more harmful than the problem they seek to solve: “The reality is more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change.” At the Republican debate he flatly declared "The climate agenda is a hoax."

Tim Scott

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, according to his campaign website, would reverse what he calls “Biden’s war on fossil fuels.”

His plans include repealing all rules and executive actions Biden took on energy, while accelerating the permitting process for oil and gas projects.

If elected, Scott said, he would throw his support behind the development of nuclear energy, with the goal of doubling energy production from fission resources within a decade.

Scott also states he’s a champion of ethanol and biofuels, and as president, he would provide certainty and support for American farmers who produce crops for these products.

During the presidential candidate debate on Fox News, Scott said that he doesn’t support efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. America has cut its carbon footprint by half in the last 25 years, he said, and it’s places like Africa, India and China where emissions are continuing to increase.

“Why would we put ourselves at a disadvantage, devastating our own economy? Let’s bring our jobs home,” Scott said.

Doug Burgum

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, when he spoke to Weber and Solomon about his campaign, said that the energy policies of the Biden administration have strengthened America’s enemies and undermined its own stated goals of protecting the environment.

With lax enforcement of sanctions, he said, Iran has been able to ramp up oil production, which it sold to China, allowing the communist nation to build its own energy stockpiles.

“It's estimated this could be $25 billion of revenue coming to Iran from the sale of oil and gas. And so, if we have sanctions, they should be enforced,” Burgum said.

He was also critical of Biden unfreezing $6 billion in oil payments to Iran, which are at the moment held by a South Korean bank.

The federal government holds 240 million acres of land, and Burgum said the intention of public lands was so that they could be put to use by the American people. The Biden administration has instead prevented its use. “Whether that's rare earth minerals, whether it's uranium for nuclear, whether it's oil and gas …  the Biden administration wants to shut it down and say that asset is off limits,” Burgum said.

This means that America is getting its supply of oil, gas and minerals from countries like Venezuela and China, which Burgum said lacks America’s more rigorous environmental standards. “If you cared about the environment, you would want to have every ounce of liquid fuels. You'd want to have every electron of electricity running everything produced here in America,” Burgum said.

Burgum also said that if elected, he would encourage natural gas production to lower emissions and would seek American energy dominance. This would, he said, stabilize the economy and promote domestic manufacturing.