- Exxon CEO says Trump was right to reverse Biden policies
- Trump has promised to support oil and gas production
Chevron Corp. has begun using “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico” to describe the location of some of its largest oil operations, after President Donald Trump ordered the US to rename the body of water.
“That’s the official position of the US government,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth said in an interview. “If Google Maps is using it — then Chevron is using it.”
Chevron made the switch in a Friday earnings statement and on its website, where its details the company’s extensive offshore operations. It’s just one sign of how the US oil and gas industry has started to align itself with the incoming Trump administration, in contrast to the frosty — and often hostile — relations with Joe Biden’s government.
Trump has promised to support oil and gas production by removing Biden-era regulations. His election campaign was backed by several big oil industry donors, and the president and his allies have repeatedly talked about seeking American “energy dominance.”
Trump called for the name change on his first day in office last week, saying it was part of his push to make the US “the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth.” The US Interior Department formally announced the change Jan. 24.
Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. has said it will update Google Maps once the change has been made to the United States Geological Survey’s database.
Chevron put in a good word for Trump earlier this week when it announced a new venture to build gas-fired power plants to supply electricity to data centers. “We are proud to play our part in bringing to fruition President Trump’s vision for a new American golden age,” Wirth said in the accompanying statement.
Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Darren Woods said on his company’s earnings conference call with analysts that Trump is “right to reverse” many of the Biden administration’s constraints on fossil fuels, specifically the pause on new liquefied natural gas export facilities and executive orders limiting offshore drilling.
However, as the call progressed Friday, Woods stuck with calling it the Gulf of Mexico.
Energy News Beat