Post-Election Insights: Policy Impacts and Considerations to the Liquid Terminal Industry

On December 18, ILTA hosted its monthly Energy Evolution Webinar featuring Ted Michaels, Jessica Johnson Bennett, and Anna Schutt from AJW, Inc. Ted, Jessica, and Anna have decades of experience in federal and state government affairs, focusing on energy, liquid fuels, and market dynamics, as well as topics impacting liquid terminals, such as CERCLA and other federal regulations. Building on their October presentation, AJW provided updates on the post-election landscape and its implications for energy evolution markets and policies affecting the terminal industry. 

The webinar opened with an overview of the key takeaways following the election, including the topline election results, outlooks on the President and Congress, and significant committee leadership changes. AJW reviewed relevant policy issues to ILTA, several of the incoming Trump Administration’s key cabinet nominees and staff, and outlined the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Following, AJW reviewed the incoming Congress and its composition, internal leadership elections, committee landscape, and lame-duck session priorities. Next, the webinar assessed the probabilities for numerous legislative and regulatory issues following the election, including topic areas of interest to ILTA such as clean energy tax credits, clean energy grant programs, the voluntary market, and trade policy. Last, AJW laid out the potential energy and environmental policies and priorities of the incoming administration and the resulting impacts on liquid terminals, including PFAS, the Inflation Reduction Act, reconciliation, and permitting reform. To conclude their presentation, Ted, Jessica, and Anna took questions from the audience, addressing critical policy issues impacting the liquid terminal industry and the government.