Trump meeting with oil executives

President Trump will meet with oil executives Wednesday afternoon, a senior White House official told The Hill. Around 15 executives with oil companies and the American Petroleum Institute, a lobbying group, will join.

The official declined to name the participants as of noon Wednesday but described them as leading energy companies. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are also expected to attend. 

The meeting’s agenda includes national and economic security, unleashing U.S. energy and artificial intelligence and data centers. 

American Petroleum Institute spokesperson Bethany Williams praised Trump ahead of the meeting. 

“President Trump’s energy agenda has set our nation on a path toward energy dominance. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss how American oil and natural gas are driving economic growth, strengthening our national security and supporting consumers with the President and his team,” she said in a statement. 

The group has recently released a roadmap of policies it would like to see, which include rolling back auto emission regulations, approving gas export terminals, bolstering drilling on public lands and waters, speeding approvals for energy and other infrastructure projects, and retaining the 21 percent corporate tax rate.

Climate advocates criticized the meeting. 

“Trump pressured oil executives to give $1 billion to his campaign in exchange for preferential treatment for the industry, and it would seem that the quid pro quo is paying off,” said Mahyar Sorour, director of beyond fossil fuels policy at the Sierra Club, in a statement.

“Now, he’s sitting down with the API, a fossil fuel industry group. We must find ways to expand access to clean, affordable energy instead of continuing to pad the profits of API members and oil and gas executives who attempt to buy influence in the government,” Sorour said.