Unexpected Critics of Trump’s Attacks on Wind Energy: Oil Executives
Business leaders and trade organizations have been especially worried by attempts to stop work on wind farms that had already secured federal approval.
Business leaders and trade organizations have been especially worried by attempts to stop work on wind farms that had already secured federal approval.
Oil and gas executives are expressing concern about the Trump administration’s attacks on offshore wind, including attempts to block the construction of projects off the East Coast.
Executives generally have refrained from publicly denouncing President Trump, but in interviews with The New York Times, some voiced misgivings about what they have seen as undue political meddling in energy.
“Ever-changing policy, particularly as administrations change, is not good for business,” Darren Woods, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, said in a recent interview. “It’s not good for the economy and ultimately, it’s not good for people.”
Mr. Woods, who runs the largest U.S. oil and gas company, was responding to a question about the Trump administration’s attempts to halt fully permitted offshore wind farms. He stopped short of directly criticizing those actions.
Others have shared more pointed concerns privately, including that efforts to rescind federal approvals could set a precedent that a future administration could use to hamper pipelines or other fossil fuel infrastructure.
“Life is long, and the sword being wielded against the renewables industry right now will likely boomerang back in 3.5 years against traditional energy,” reads a response to a recent anonymized survey of oil and gas companies by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
