Institute for Energy Research President Tom Pyle expressed confidence that Senate Republicans would succeed in repealing California’s EV mandate—a move aligned with the deregulatory agenda of President Trump. This public statement, as reported on 2025-04-05, highlights IER’s political engagement in backing policies that roll back environmental regulatory measures initiated during the Biden administration.

On March 12, 2025, the Institute for Energy Research published an article analyzing Trump's executive orders that dismantle key environmental regulations, including the social cost of carbon and NEPA guidelines. The commentary underscores a free-market, deregulation stance that implicitly favors policies undermining protective environmental and public health measures.

On February 19, 2025, the Institute for Energy Research submitted three petitions to the Trump administration urging revisions to environmental regulations. The petitions call for aligning the definition of Waters of the United States with a recent Supreme Court ruling, revising the Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule, and reconsidering a rule protecting tribal reserved rights, thereby advancing policies aimed at deregulation of energy markets.

The Institute for Energy Research published an article on February 11, 2025, highlighting President Trump’s new energy team directives, which aim to roll back environmental protections and bolster domestic energy production. The article frames these actions as essential for national security and economic growth, implicitly endorsing an agenda of deregulation that aligns with Trump’s broader authoritarian policy shifts.

On July 19, 2022, the Institute for Energy Research filed a lawsuit against FERC, alleging that the commission has been stonewalling its Freedom of Information Act requests and withholding details about its coordination with the White House on climate agenda policies. The move seeks to force transparency and accountability from a key regulatory agency.

Since May 2022, the Institute for Energy Research has initiated over a dozen FOIA lawsuits to unearth records showing FERC Commissioner Clements' communications with green activist groups. The move has contributed to a congressional inquiry over potential ethics lapses, raising questions about whether these legal actions serve to undercut progressive regulatory oversight of energy policies.