Analysis

In an exit memo to federal employees at the Department of Energy (DOE), Secretary Ernest Moniz highlighted the growth of energy independence in the United States. He specifically cited the increased domestic production of oil and natural gas as the reason the United States is less dependent on foreign sources.

The decision to highlight the Climate Action Plan, instead of a single carbon regulation like the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, is significant. Released in 2013, the Climate Action Plan provided the rationale for a series of actions targeting the production and consumption of fossil-fuels, which provide more than 80 percent of the nation’s energy.