Leadership Tensions Cloud Trump’s Energy Dominance Plan

President-elect Donald Trump’s vision of establishing a National Energy Council to drive his U.S. “energy dominance” agenda is off to a contentious start, as reported by Politico. A new report highlights a “bureaucratic turf war” brewing among incoming White House officials over leadership roles and structural decisions.

Shortly after his election victory, Trump announced plans to create the council as a cornerstone of his administration’s energy policy. However, internal disagreements have already emerged regarding who will lead the initiative. Sources told Politico that the president-elect initially named Republican North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as the council’s leader. However, the role may not be as straightforward as promised.

Trump’s choice for Energy Secretary, oil executive Chris Wright, has been floated as a possible co-chair of the council, creating tension within the team. “One of the people familiar with those conversations said that development could run afoul of Burgum, who Trump promised to make leader of the council,” Politico reported.

A source revealed, “We’ve heard that Wright wants an equal role to Burgum and there’s resistance.” This internal friction highlights a deeper challenge in defining the council’s leadership and function. Complicating matters further, discussions surrounding the council’s “structure, staffing, and how prominent a role it would play in crafting policy” remain unresolved.

Even the name of the proposed body has sparked debate. To avoid confusion with the National Economic Council, a longstanding entity within the Executive Office of the President, the group may be renamed the National Energy Dominance Council.

“Even the planned council’s name is changing to avoid confusion with the National Economic Council, a mainstay within the Executive Office of the President,” Politico stated. The potential new name, National Energy Dominance Council, reflects Trump’s goal of reshaping U.S. energy policy to prioritize domestic energy production and deregulation.

Despite these challenges, the council is intended to coordinate energy policy and regulatory measures across federal agencies. However, insiders caution that unresolved power struggles and structural ambiguity could hinder the council’s ability to effectively implement Trump’s ambitious energy agenda.

As the incoming administration works to finalize the council’s design, Trump’s promise of energy “dominance” faces early roadblocks, raising questions about the efficiency of the planned policy-making framework.