Trump signs memos to boost US fossil-fuel production for ‘defense readiness’

President claims ‘inadequate’ supply presents security threat and orders expansion of oil, coal and gas production Donald Trump on Monday released a series of memos that doubled down on his support of increased domestic fossil fuel production for purported “defense readiness”. Trump’s memos, which cited the president’s 20 January 2025 executive order declaring a national energy emergency, said US-based oil, coal, and natural gas production must expand “to avert an industrial resource or critical technology item shortfall that would severely impair national defense capability”. “It emphasized that our Nation’s current inadequate and intermittent energy supply leaves us vulnerable to hostile foreign actors and poses an imminent and growing threat to the United States’ prosperity and national security,” one of Trump’s memoranda said of his executive order. “Consistent with that declaration, I find that ensuring resilient domestic petroleum production, refining, and logistics capacity is central to United States defense readiness,” he also said. “Petroleum fuels the Nation’s Armed Forces, industrial base, and crucial infrastructure. Without immediate F