DALLAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and top Trump donor Kelcy Warren said Thursday they expect the incoming administration to sharply reduce oil and gas regulations and encourage more drilling to lower energy prices.
At the Dallas Citizen Council’s annual meeting Thursday, Abbott, a Republican, said President-elect Donald Trump called him shortly after the election to talk about his plans for the energy sector. During the call, Abbott recalled Trump saying he was going to “get rid of the EPA regulations that have tied the hands of the energy sector in the state of Texas.”
“He genuinely and forcefully embraces supporting, pushing and advancing more drilling,” Abbott said during a lunch panel at the meeting. “It’s going to be game on on Jan. 20.”
The oil and gas industry as well as lawmakers in Republican states have been compiling wish lists of Biden-era regulations they hope Trump will throw out. It’s unclear how quickly, and how many, rules the new administration will be able to roll back, but both Warren, the executive chair of gas and pipeline giant Energy Transfer, and Abbott said they expect Trump to start making changes on his first day in office.
