Energy & Environment

Policy Priorities

U.S. energy independence
A secure and resilient U.S. energy sector
A predictable and efficient permitting process
A level playing field for all sources of energy to compete
Increased energy exports and international energy dominance
Realistic, fact-based, and economically viable solutions for complex environmental problems
Energy policies that help America’s most vulnerable and end energy poverty—ensuring that every American has access to affordable, reliable energy

American ingenuity and entrepreneurialism have transformed American energy. When our Nation thrived under America First leadership, the United States achieved a generational strategic goal and moved from a position of chronic energy dependency to true energy independence—providing abundant and affordable energy to American homes and communities and opening new vistas of American dreams and opportunities. Our American energy sector achieved something else as well: in attaining new heights of innovation and development, the United States led the world in generating opportunity, security, and environmental progress. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) will advance policies to safeguard the freedoms and opportunities presented by our energy potential and rebuild our Nation’s energy independence while advancing clean air and clean water and helping make the greatest economy in the world work for all Americans.

Team

Ambassador Carla Sands

Chair, Foreign Policy Initiative & Senior Fellow for Energy Policy

Oliver McPherson-Smith,Ph.D

Vice Chair, Energy & Environment

Ted Ellis

Campaign Director, Power America and Deputy Director, Energy and Environment

David Vasquez

Senior Policy Analyst, American Prosperity and Energy & Environment

Samuel Buchan

Senior Fellow, Energy & Environment

Joshua Antonini

Policy Analyst, Energy and Environment

Latest

Op-Ed | June 24, 2026

Congress Should Follow the Administration’s Lead on Lowering Energy Prices

Recent action by the Trump administration has made historic strides to free up energy production, reduce burdensome regulations, and repeal harmful and unnecessary rules. In particular, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright have made significant progress in reducing the regulatory pressure on energy production. From the EPA’s “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history” to the notable reduction of “47 burdensome and costly regulations” by the DOE, the administration has effectively moved the country from a net-zero to energy dominance focus.

Fact Sheet | June 17, 2026

Ten Actions Congress Could Take to Lower Energy Prices | Fact Sheet

Energy powers modern life, and affordable, reliable energy powers prosperity. Prices stabilize—and often decline—when Congress sets reasonable safety and environmental standards, then steps back to let free markets, innovation, and competition deliver supply, reliability, and controlled costs.

Issue Brief | June 17, 2026

Ten Actions Congress Could Take to Lower Energy Prices

Energy powers life, and energy that is affordable and reliable powers prosperity. But affordable and reliable energy requires a few basics to become a reality: sufficient supplies and controlled costs. Energy prices tend to stabilize—and even decline—when Washington establishes reasonable safety and environmental guidelines, then steps back to let free markets operate, and individuals and businesses innovate and produce.

News Release | June 10, 2026

AFPI Releases Brief on Permitting Reform for Energy Dominance

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) today released an issue brief, “Building Energy Dominance: A Near-Term Permitting Agenda.” The brief details how slow, costly government permitting holds back American building, and lays out four practical fixes—making routine projects easier to approve, holding agencies to firm deadlines, reining in lawsuits that drag projects out for years, and letting states handle more of the review—to help the country build energy and infrastructure faster without giving up real environmental protections.

Issue Brief | June 9, 2026

Building Energy Dominance: A Near-Term Permitting Agenda

America is failing to build and maintain the infrastructure required for national defense, industrial revival, and the artificial intelligence revolution. The stakes are high because these priorities depend on the affordable, reliable energy that powers every industry, from advanced warfighting aircraft and cutting-edge chips for AI compute to mineral extraction and processing at home. Chief among the barriers is a federal permitting system that limits the growth of the national infrastructure needed to strengthen America’s economy, security, and technological leadership.