President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed with a flourish on July 4, 2025, has rolled out the red carpet for oil, gas, and coal while giving solar and wind the cold shoulder. The House passed this 887-page behemoth on Thursday, just squeaking by a White House deadline after the Senate’s narrow approval on Tuesday.
Trump’s energy vision is clear: fossil fuels and nuclear are the VIPs, while renewables are stuck outside the club.
Oil and gas companies are popping champagne corks. The bill opens federal lands and waters for drilling, mandating 30 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over 15 years and dozens more across nine states. It also slashes royalties these companies pay, making it cheaper to pump crude on public turf.
“This bill is a game-changer for our industry,” said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, grinning wider than a Texas oil field. It even tweaks a carbon capture tax credit to boost oil production, turning a green idea into a black gold bonanza. Chevron and Exxon are already eyeing bigger profits.
Coal’s getting a big hug too. The bill opens 4 million acres of federal land for mining and cuts coal royalties, letting companies dig deeper for less. It throws in a tax credit for metallurgical coal used in steelmaking, because nothing says “modern energy” quite like coal.
Hydrogen got a slight reprieve, with its tax credit extended to 2028. “Our members are thrilled to keep investing in hydrogen,” Sommers said, probably while planning a hydrogen-themed office party. It’s a small win in a bill that’s mostly a fossil fuel fiesta.
Meanwhile, solar and wind are sulking in the corner. The bill axes their investment and production tax credits, in place since 2005 and 1992, respectively, for projects entering service after 2027. A last-minute tweak lets projects starting construction within a year dodge the chop, but it’s a tight deadline.
“America’s clean energy comeback is at risk,” warned Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, sounding like she’s ready to unplug the grid in protest. The bill also kills a tax credit for U.S.-made solar and wind components post-2027, threatening domestic factories. Michael Carr of the Solar Energy Manufacturers Association predicts factory closures and stalled investments.
Trump’s not shy about his disdain for renewables. “Windmills are destroying our place,” he told Fox News on June 29, 2025, adding that solar panels are “ugly as hell.” His aesthetic critique has some scratching their heads, wondering if oil rigs are the new standard of beauty.
The bill’s timing is ironic, given the surging energy demands from AI data centers. Experts warn it could cede clean energy leadership to China, where solar and wind are expanding faster than a Beijing traffic jam. “This is strategic self-harm,” one analyst quipped, shaking their head at the missed opportunity.
The bill also scraps Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act goodies, like electric vehicle tax credits and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. It’s a full-throttle rollback of green policies, with $24.6 billion tossed to the Coast Guard for Arctic oil and gas projects. Environmentalists are fuming, but the bill’s fossil fuel fans are too busy celebrating to notice.
Nuclear and geothermal get a nod, with tax credits extended to 2033, but they’re the wallflowers at this fossil fuel dance party. The bill’s defenders, like Rep. Tim Burchett, argue it’s time to lift up “homegrown” energy sources. Critics counter that it’s a step back to the smoky days of yore.
Energy prices might not budge much, as Trump’s promise to halve utility bills faces skepticism. “The president can’t control fuel costs or grid infrastructure,” noted a Politico report, suggesting Trump’s energy dreams might stay just that—dreams. Still, the bill’s impact on renewables could ripple for years.
As Trump prepares to sign the bill at a White House ceremony, the energy landscape is shifting. Fossil fuels are strutting their stuff, while solar and wind are left to pick up the pieces. Whether this bill sparks an energy boom or a clean energy bust, one thing’s certain: it’s got everyone talking.
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