Dependence Is a Choice: How Trump Reasserted America's Control over Energy

David Manney-Commentary : Nov 14, 2025
PJ Media

We understand that energy independence isn't a slogan. It's a shield against an unpredictable world. Nations that control their supply enjoy stability, while those that outsource it live on borrowed time.

[PJMedia.com] A Return to Energy Reality

President Donald Trump is working to correct a drift that began during the Biden years. For no good strategic reason, the country watched its hard-won energy independence slip away. (Image: iStock-cweimer4)

Fortunately, sanity returned; the new administration reversed the restrictive rules that closed large areas of Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, choking off future oil and gas development.

Many of those limits stemmed from Biden-era directives that favored environmental symbolism over practical national strength. The Department of the Interior signaled a fundamental shift when it announced the repeal of those rules and reopened millions of acres for leasing.

This isn't about politics. It's about whether a nation chooses to stand on its own or sit quietly while foreign producers decide its fate.

What Biden Broke

The prior administration, led by faceless, nameless loons, treated American energy abundance as a liability rather than an advantage.

Pudd'n Head Joe restricted leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve, discouraged exploration in promising tracts,and increasedregulatory pressure, all the while insisting that the transition toward alternatives move forward even if the groundwork wasn't nearly ready.

That foolish choice left the United States exposed to global market shocks, foreign leverage, and higher prices that punished middle-class families and small businesses.

It was an apparent contradiction: you can't talk about climate ambition while importing barrels from nations with weaker environmental standards, and build a secure economy while ignoring the resources sitting beneath stable American ground. President Trump called attention to that contradiction and moved to fix it.

Opening the Petroleum Reserve and ANWR

Trump's decision to reopen the National Petroleum Reserve and restore access to the whole coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is grounded in both law and logic.

Congress established the petroleum reserve to serve as a strategic supply, not a museum. The Biden administration expanded special-protection zones that effectively fenced off the reserve's purpose.

Trump's Interior Department removed those barriers and reactivated the original mandate, applying the same principle to the coast plan in ANWR. For years, politicians treated that area as untouchable, even though Congress explicitly approved limited drilling. Trump restored that approval in practice by clearing regulatory roadblocks and signaling to the private sector that exploration is again welcome.

Why Energy Independence Can't Wait

We understand that energy independence isn't a slogan. It's a shield against an unpredictable world. Nations that control their supply enjoy stability, while those that outsource it live on borrowed time.

America hands over the leverage that foreign producers can use at any moment. However, if we develop our own reserves, we gain negotiating strength and economic durability, with consequences reaching far beyond Alaska.

Domestic production affects manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, home heating, and national defense. When our leaders refuse to use any resources available, they surrender the very advantages generations before them built.

Trump's decision to reopen development reminds us that independence requires action rather than aspiration.

The Economic Stakes for Alaska

More than most, Alaska understands the stakes; its economy rises and falls on energy, infrastructure, and responsible development. When leasing stopped, revenue stopped, jobs disappeared, and community investment slowed.

Opening the millions of available acres revives exploration, processing, shipping, and support industries that reach from Anchorage to smaller communities, depending on the resource at hand. Federal royalties and state revenue rise with production, and the multiplier effect spreads across sectors from logistics to construction.

Biden's restrictions ignored those realities, while Trump re-centered them by restoring access and giving the state a chance to thrive again.

Environmental Concerns and Practical Responsibility

One argument from environmental groups is that opening the Arctic region invites irreversible harm. Although those concerns deserve acknowledgement, the Arctic is delicate, and development requires rigorous oversight.

The solution isn't to shut down activity; it's to manage it responsibly... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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