“I think in the U.S., they will do what’s right for them to expand and accelerate their industry,” Nasser said Tuesday of Washington’s transition plans. Trump put fossil fuels at the top of his campaign agenda, pledging to “end Biden’s delays in federal drilling permits and leases that are needed to unleash American oil and natural gas production.” In mid-November, the president-elect picked oil and gas industry veteran Chris Wright, a stalwart defender of fossil fuels, to lead the Department of Energy. U.S. oil production has bolstered throughout Biden’s presidency, hitting a U.S. and global record of 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in March.