President Trump Invokes the Defense Production Act to Strengthen Energy Infrastructure

On April 20, 2026, President Donald J. Trump issued several Presidential Determinations, invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950. The Presidential Determinations focus on a number of energy-related sectors essential to national defense:

• Grid Infrastructure, Equipment, and Supply Chain Capacity;
• Development, Manufacturing, and Deployment of Large-Scale Energy and Energy Related Infrastructure; 
• Natural Gas Transmission, Processing, Storage, and Liquefied Natural Gas Capacity; 
• Coal Supply Chains and Baseload Power Generation Capacity; and 
• Domestic Petroleum Production, Refining, and Logistics Capacity. 

The Presidential Determinations aim to address inadequate energy production and infrastructure capabilities due to market conditions, financing risks, and regulatory bottlenecks. These Presidential Determinations follow President Trump’s Executive Order 14156, issued January 20, 2025, Declaring a National Energy Emergency, which highlighted the importance of America’s energy sector to national security.