On April 9, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a controversial Executive Order titled “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy,” aimed at drastically scaling back federal environmental and energy-related regulations. The order introduces a sweeping sunset policy, under which numerous longstanding regulations could automatically expire unless agencies explicitly justify and renew them.
The order targets major regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DoE), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), among others. It directs them to apply sunset clauses to rules governing energy production, unless extended following a public comment process. The scope includes critical statutes like the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Critics have warned that the order could dismantle decades of environmental and wildlife protections. The new rules force agencies to reassess all applicable regulations by September 30, 2025. If not reaffirmed, these regulations would become null and void within a year.
Supporters argue that the order will stimulate innovation, eliminate outdated bureaucracy, and drive economic growth in the energy sector. They claim the executive action restores regulatory power to elected lawmakers and curtails what they see as overreach by unelected federal officials.
Environmentalists, however, see the move as a calculated effort to favor fossil fuel interests at the expense of ecological and public health. The order includes agencies responsible for overseeing surface mining, offshore drilling, wildlife conservation, and more.
The controversial approach draws sharp criticism for its potential to nullify regulations without thorough legislative oversight. While it mandates a public comment period before any rule’s expiration, opponents argue this measure is insufficient to safeguard protections originally enacted by Congress.
The order is part of Trump’s broader deregulatory agenda, which includes a ten-for-one rule—eliminating ten existing regulations for every new one introduced. While the latest directive exempts expired rules from that count, it continues the administration’s aggressive rollback of federal oversight.
Legal experts anticipate a wave of litigation challenging the Executive Order’s constitutionality and its implications for public health, environmental justice, and administrative law.
This action raises questions about the future of environmental governance in the U.S., potentially undoing a century’s worth of legal and regulatory precedent in pursuit of short-term economic gains.