National energy plans have long been a staple of campaigns and new administrations, although in recent years they have morphed into combination energy/climate agendas. The Trump Administration is no different; Department of Energy Secretary Wright’s first Secretarial Order is a plan entitled “Unleash Golden Era of American Energy Dominance.”

The plan consists of nine planks.

1. Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction: 

“Great attention has been paid to the pursuing of a net-zero carbon future. Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security.”

2. Unleash American Energy Innovation: 

“…the Department’s R&D efforts will prioritize affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower. The Department must also prioritize true technological breakthroughs – such as nuclear fusion, high-performance computing, quantum computing, and AI – to maintain America’s global competitiveness.”

3. Return to Regular Order on LNG Exports: 

“On January 20, the Department resumed consideration of pending applications to export American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries without a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. in accordance with the Natural Gas Act. Proper consideration of LNG export applications is required by law and shall proceed accordingly.”

4. Promote Affordability and Consumer Choice in Home Appliances: 

“A top priority of the Trump Administration is to ensure that American families can choose from a range of affordable home appliances and products. The Department will pursue a commonsense approach that does not regulate products that consumers value out of the market; instead, affordability and consumer choice will be our guiding light.”

5. Refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)

6. Modernize America’s nuclear stockpile: 

“We urgently need to modernize the nation’s nuclear weapons systems. The Department will continue its critical mission of protecting our national security and nuclear deterrence in the development, modernization, and stewardship of America’s atomic weapons enterprise, including the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nonproliferation.”

7. Unleash Commercial Nuclear Power in the United States:

“The long-awaited American nuclear renaissance must launch during President Trump’s administration.”

8. Strengthen Grid Reliability and Security: 

“Fortifying America’s electric grid is critical to the reliable and secure delivery of electricity. The Department will bring a renewed focus to growing baseload and dispatchable generation to reliably meet growing demand.”

9. Streamline Permitting and Identify Undue Burdens on American Energy:

“A burdensome federal permitting process undermines America’s competitiveness and national security. The Department will identify and exercise its legal authorities to expedite the approval and construction of reliable energy infrastructure.”

What should one think of the plan? In many ways it is quite familiar. For conservatives, the backbone of energy policy has been to recognize that energy is an economic commodity, and to advocate a reliance on market forces to guide the energy production and consumption decisions. It steps into other areas with plank 1, which is simply its climate policy. (This often comes with the label of an “all of the above” energy strategy.) It also is more of a Department of Energy strategy (rather than a broader energy strategy) by focusing on DOE’s nuclear weapons responsibilities. Finally, the strategy veers a bit into industrial policy by openly supporting commercial nuclear power and with its R&D agenda.

Unlike the economic strategy – if there is one – the energy strategy is straightforward and predictable.