President Trump on Wednesday will join senior White House staff and members of his Cabinet for a meeting with governors, state officials and tribal leaders to discuss removing regulations to encourage energy development.
“Today’s event will highlight the Administration’s commitment to growing America’s energy production and high-skilled energy jobs, with a focus on removing regulatory burdens that hinder energy infrastructure growth specifically for state, tribal and local governments,” a White House statement read.
The meeting at the White House marks day three of what the administration is calling Energy Week, which is the final part of a month-long initiative to highlight different sectors where the president is promoting job growth under his America First agenda.
Trump will hear from Govs. Bill Walker of Alaska, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Paul LePage of Maine, according to the White House. All of the governors are Republicans, with the exception of Walker, who is an Independent.
“Tribal, state and local leaders will be included who have supported the expansion of American energy production – traditional and renewable,” according to the White House. “The President has already taken several actions to unleash America’s energy industry and to empower states to shepherd such energy production in an environmentally responsible way.”
All of the states the governors represent stand out when it comes to energy development. Iowa is the nation’s top producer of ethanol and a leader in wind-generated electricity; Alaska is a major oil and natural gas producer, but is looking for major infrastructure upgrades to reduce energy costs for its residents; Maine is looking to open up its water to offshore wind development and tidal power, and is looking to become a clean energy leader in the Northeast; while Nebraska is second only to Iowa for ethanol production, and gets a mix of its electricity from nuclear power and coal.
Trump will also hear from Georgia state officials, including Republican State Sen. Burt Jones and Lauren “Bubba” McDonald of the state’s public service commission that regulates utilities and energy development in the state.
A number of tribal leaders are also expected to attend. The list is long, including: Chairman Alvin “AJ” Not Afraid, of the Crow Nation Reservation in Montana; Chairman Luke Duncan, of the Ute Nation Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah and Colorado; Councilman Kevin Frost, of the Southern Ute in Colorado; Gov. Bill Anoatubby, of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma; Speaker Lorenzo Bates, of the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico; Chairman Herman Honanie, of the Hopi in Arizona; Chairman Mark Fox, of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara in North Dakota; Chief Gary Batton, of the Choctaw in Oklahoma; Chairman Jo Anne Battise, of Alabama Coushatta in Texas; and Chairman Aaron Payment, of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa in Michigan.
Trump will be joined by Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, along with a number of top advisers and officials from the White House and the Interior Department, according to the White House.
