--- title: Energy Independence: U.S. Could Become Net Exporter by 2026 description: The U.S. could become a net energy exporter by 2026 as crude oil and natural gas production continues to increase in the country canonical: https://time.com/4624001/energy-independent-crude-oil/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-05T19:04:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:47.257Z article:section: Science og:title: U.S. Could Become 'Energy Independent' by 2026, Report Finds og:description: Politicians have invoked the term as a goal for U.S. energy policy decades og:url: https://time.com/4624001/energy-independent-crude-oil/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted3ba2436853b52e/6988b47f428a9ef8cbcd562f/energy-independence-oil.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4800 og:image:height: 2700 og:image:alt: energy independence oil og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Could Become 'Energy Independent' by 2026, Report Finds twitter:description: Politicians have invoked the term as a goal for U.S. energy policy decades twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted3ba2436853b52e/6988b47f428a9ef8cbcd562f/energy-independence-oil.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.S. Could Become 'Energy Independent' by 2026, Report Finds > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=4db19a98-62f8-4a17-bd28-2c3a8df8d9f2&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U3bhooK6.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2016-11-15. Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that environmentalism is not his priority. Now, Climate scientists, policymakers and diplomats are questioning how his presidency will shape the future of climate change policy._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 7:04 PM UTC  Oil derricks at the Chevron Oil Field in Bakersfield, California on Nov. 21, 2016. Oil derricks at the Chevron Oil Field in Bakersfield, California on Nov. 21, 2016. Frederic J. Brown—AFP/Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 7:04 PM UTC The U.S. could become a net energy exporter by 2026 as crude oil and natural gas production continues to increase in the country, according to a new report. The landmark achievement—often referred to as “energy independence” by politicians—means the U.S. would export more energy resources like crude oil than it imports. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) [report](http://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/) evaluates a number of factors that might affect the U.S. energy industry including the pace of technological growth, the level of economic growth and oil and gas prices. In some cases, like fast-paced technology development, net exports would grow dramatically. In other cases, like low oil prices, net imports would expand. The reference case, which assumes current regulations remain intact and trends continue, shows the U.S. exporting slightly more energy than it imports. “Yes, the U.S. could be completely, I think the phrase used at one time was energy independent,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski in a press conference announcing the report. The surge in U.S. energy production is largely due to increased access to U.S. oil and gas reserves thanks to new technology like fracking that has made previously inaccessible areas relatively easy to develop. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have long-hailed “energy independence”—[including](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/energy) President-elect Donald Trump—as a key aim of a strong energy policy. But economists and policymakers have debated the value of the term arguing that relying solely on U.S. energy resources would be unwise. Instead, some experts argue that the country pursue policies that ensure energy security. The report, an outlook for the entire energy sector looking forward to 2050, shows a massive decrease in electricity from coal-fired power plants even if Trump undoes the Clean Power Plan, the policy created by President Obama to discourage the use of coal-fired power plants. At the same time, the use of natural gas, solar and wind to run power plants is expected to soar. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax. It'll get cooler, it'll get warmer. It's called weather. Now that he's President- elect, here's what at stake for the future of the environment. Thank you. Paris Agreement which was negotiated last year and came into effect just a few weeks ago was a monumental step for addressing climate change. And setting a path forward for the coming decades to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Donald Trump has promised to cancel the Paris agreement, or at the very least, renegotiate it. Stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN Global Warming Programs. He does not have the authority to cancel it. It's an agreement with more than 190 countries. He also doesn't have the power to withdraw from it. Immediately at least, it would take at least three years to go through those processes. He does have the power to ignore it. It's unlikely that other countries will feel comfortable making big reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions, if the United States is not taking the lead. Another policy at stake is Obama's clean power plan. [ APPLAUSE ] Single most important step America has ever taken in the fight against global Climate change. Trump has said that he would cancel it. Environmental Protection, what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations. He has the authority to do that. He could direct the EPA to eliminate the clean power plan. We'll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can't destroy businesses He will definitely if he does face litigation from environmental groups that will argue that it's the EPA's role to do that. It's a long winding process. And certainly not something that he's going to be able to accomplish in his first 100 days. Environmentalists are trying to remain Optimistic and looking at a lot of the market trends that have resulted in the reduction in coal power and other greenhouse gas emissions. A lot of it is outside of the realm of regulation. But also trying to stay optimistic about the Paris agreement. Some of them say even if Donald Trump Withdraws, they are confident that other countries will step up to the plate. I'm 16 years old from Mwanza, Tanzania. Looking forward, there's a lot of things that Trump can do to slow progress on climate change, but many of the trends he doesn't have control over. So there is reason for optimism if you're looking in the long- term. 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