Why the U.S. oil industry is skeptical of Trump's 'pro-petroleum' plans

"Having worked in and studied the energy industry for decades, I've seen a number of discoveries that companies struggled to move forward with because either the discovery was not large enough to be commercially profitable or the geology was too difficult to make development plausible. Market conditions are the prime drivers of U.S. energy investment-not moves by politicians seeking to seem supportive of the industry."

"The general decline in oil prices from 2022 through late 2025 has reduced the attractiveness of many drilling investments. And opening the East and West coasts to drilling may sound significant, but these regions have unconfirmed reserves. That means a lot of subsurface work, such as seismic surveys, stratigraphic mapping, and reservoir characterization-potentially taking years-would need to be done before any drilling would begin."

"Offshore drilling also faces enormous opposition. On the West Coast, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have made forceful statements against any new California offshore oil drilling. They have said any effort is economically unnecessary, environmentally reckless, and "dead on arrival" politically in the state. California local governments, environmental groups, business alliances, and coastal communities also oppose d"

Political moves have aimed to expand U.S. fossil fuel production through announcements to open new areas for drilling. Oil and gas companies and industry leaders have objected to changes in long-standing government policy that create uncertainty for planning. Market fundamentals drive investment decisions, with declining oil prices from 2022 through late 2025 reducing the attractiveness of many drilling projects. East and West Coast areas have unconfirmed reserves requiring extensive subsurface work and years of preparation before drilling would be possible. Offshore developments face strong opposition from state leaders, local governments, environmental groups, business alliances, and coastal communities. Many discoveries are not commercially viable due to size or difficult geology.

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