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Trump's policy may undermine pro-growth intentions

Nature Energy volume 1, Article number: 16156 (2016) Cite this article

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In terms of energy policy, the Trump presidential campaign is largely aligned with mainstream Republican positions, evoking independence and deregulation. However, Trump's rhetoric and personality might inject uncertainties into long-term energy policies, increasing the risk inherent in energy related businesses.

The 2016 Republican and Democrat party platforms present widely divergent views on energy. Republicans support development of US fossil fuel resources, defer to states on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), approve of the Keystone XL pipeline, express scepticism on climate change, and criticize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)1. Democrats emphasize climate change dangers, support limits on fracking and fossil fuel development, and endorse President Obama's EPA efforts2. In practice, both Democrats and Republicans support a mix of market and government regulation, as demonstrated by strong bipartisan support in the Senate for the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. In rhetoric, however, the differences are stark: Republicans lean toward markets, while Democrats emphasize government-centred leadership3,4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michael Giberson is at Rawls College of Business, Texas Tech University, Box 42101, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA.,

    Michael Giberson

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Correspondence to Michael Giberson.

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Giberson, M. Trump's policy may undermine pro-growth intentions. Nat Energy 1, 16156 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.156

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