Dissident Politics: MAGA chunk & bit: djt bigly pays off the carbon energy sector; Rank & file thinking

In his EO (executive order) from yesterday, djt royally pays off the energy sector for its support of him. The payoff is huge:

PROTECTING AMERICAN ENERGY FROM STATE OVERREACH

Section 1. Purpose. My Administration is committed to unleashing American energy, especially through the removal of all illegitimate impediments to the identification, development, siting, production, investment in, or use of domestic energy resources — particularly oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, geothermal, biofuel, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources. .... New York, for example, enacted a “climate change” extortion law that seeks to retroactively impose billions in fines (erroneously labelled “compensatory payments”) on traditional energy producers for their purported past contributions to greenhouse gas emissions not only in New York but also anywhere in the United States and the world.

Sec. 2. State Laws and Causes of Action. (a) The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of appropriate executive departments and agencies, shall identify all State and local laws, regulations, causes of action, policies, and practices (collectively, State laws) burdening the identification, development, siting, production, or use of domestic energy resources that are or may be unconstitutional, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable. The Attorney General shall prioritize the identification of any such State laws purporting to address “climate change” or involving “environmental, social, and governance” initiatives, “environmental justice,” carbon or “greenhouse gas” emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.

In other words, this EO represents a major federal attack on all state climate policies. It orders djt's MAGA-corrupted DoJ to challenge all state environmental regulations that energy producers do not like. Presumably, they like no state regulation. Particular emphasis in the EO is on gutting state-level climate initiatives. Thus, all state carbon or greenhouse gas emissions regulations and carbon pollution penalties or taxes are going to be obliterated.

I asked Pxy to estimate the value of killing off all state environmental regulations that affect the carbon energy sector in the first year: “Summary of Key Findings: The elimination of all state energy regulations would likely generate $150–$400 billion in annual savings for the fossil fuel and traditional energy sectors, primarily through reduced compliance costs, operational flexibility, and avoided investments in clean energy infrastructure. .... State lawsuits targeting fossil fuel companies for climate damages (e.g., New York’s “climate extortion laws”) impose billions in potential liabilities. Eliminating these could save the industry $10–$30 billion annually in legal settlements and retroactive fines.”

Net Economic Impact of Eliminating State Environmental
Regulations for Year 1 and Later years

Category	Annual Value to Energy Sector
Fossil Fuel Savings
Compliance costs	$80–$120 billion
Avoided renewables spend	$50–$100 billion
Market power gains	$19–$30 billion
Legal liability reduction	$10–$30 billion
Total Gains	$159–$280 billion
Renewables Losses
Stranded investments	-$200–$336 billion
Job/wage declines	-$45–$75 billion*
Net Sector Impact	-$86–$131 billion

* Estimated economic value of 1.3 million jobs at $35,000–$58,000 median wages

What about killing off all federal energy regulations in the first year?: “Eliminating all federal energy regulations would likely generate $190–$380 billion in annual savings for the traditional energy sector, primarily through reduced compliance costs, increased pricing power, and avoided investments in clean energy infrastructure. However, these gains would disproportionately benefit fossil fuel industries while destabilizing renewable energy markets, with long-term economic trade-offs potentially offsetting short-term windfalls.”

Energy sector free speech (“campaign contributions”) paid off very nicely. Return on investment ranges from a low of about 340:1 to a high of about 780:1, assuming the carbon energy sector spent $1 billion in free speech costs for the 2024 elections, which was the amount djt asked them to give him. Truthout reported that during his 2024 campaign, Trump "openly requested $1 billion from Big Oil," promising favorable policies in return, such as declaring a "national energy emergency" and rolling back environmental regulations (and this). DOUBLE MAGA!!

Net Economic Impact of Eliminating Federal Environmental
Regulations for Year 1 and Later years

Category	Annual Value to Energy Sector
Fossil Fuel Savings
Compliance costs	$190–$380 billion
Avoided renewables spend	$50–$100 billion
Market power gains	$19–$30 billion
Total Gains	$259–$510 billion
Renewables Losses
Stranded investments	-$200–$336 billion
Job/wage declines	-$45–$75 billion*
Net Sector Impact	-$86–$131 billion