The American Petroleum Institute (API), the top oil and gas lobbying group, sent President-elect Donald Trump its policy wish list this week, after donors from the industry helped power the largest pro-Trump super PAC and propelled Republicans to retake control of Congress next year.
API sent Trump what it called a 5-point policy roadmap, calling on his administration to undo a swath of Biden-era environmental rules designed to slow climate degradation from polluting emissions. The roadmap, which is in a brochure addressed to “Dear President-Elect Trump,” calls on the incoming administration to repeal vehicle emission rules meant to promote the transition to electric vehicles, lift a pause on new export permits for liquefied natural gas, and other steps.
In addition, API called on the Trump administration and Congress to repeal a just-finalized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fee on methane emissions beyond certain levels by large oil and gas facilities, a fee authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“As an industry committed to American prosperity, we stand ready to work with you and Congress to reverse course and advance a robust vision for securing America’s energy dominance,” API President Mike Sommers wrote to Trump.
API, a nonprofit trade association with a mission to influence public policy in support of the oil and gas industry, spent nearly $240 million in 2022, the most recent year for which its tax filings are available. Its lobbying spending totaled more than $5.8 million that year, while more than $45 million was spent on advertising and promotion, according to the filing. Among its hundreds of member companies are industry giants like Shell USA, Marathon Petroleum, and ExxonMobil.
