Overview
- The president, who signed five determinations Monday, activated Defense Production Act Section 303 to let the Energy Department offer funding, loan guarantees and purchase commitments.
- The orders label petroleum production and refining, coal supply chains, natural gas and LNG capacity, export terminals, pipelines, transformers and transmission lines as essential to national defense.
- The determinations waive standard procedural steps under the law to speed federal support and shorten permitting, procurement and financing timelines.
- Officials described the policy as a medium-term push that does not force immediate output increases but could improve grid reliability and ease energy bills over time as new projects come online.
- The action follows rising fuel costs linked to the war in Iran and builds on Trump’s March 2025 use of the law to boost critical minerals.