April 30, 2026
Administrator Kelly Loeffler
U.S. Small Business Administration 409 3rd Street SW
Washington, DC 20416

Dear Administrator Loeffler:

The undersigned organizations write to urge the Administration to advance pro-consumer, pro-domestic energy policies that lower gasoline prices ahead of the summer travel season. At a time when many American families are already contending with broad affordability pressures, recent instability in the Middle East has added uncertainty to global energy markets, raising prices at the pump and putting further strain on consumers’ pocketbooks.

The Trump Administration has an opportunity to deliver relief by removing federal barriers currently suppressing American energy production and delaying access to our domestic resources. This means backing policies that increase supply, improve supply chain certainty, and remove operational holdups that are preventing businesses from making full use of the United States’ abundant oil and natural gas resources. While we cannot fully control geopolitical shocks abroad, we can make it easier to produce more energy at home.

The Administration can begin by revising elements of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, especially Subpart W, which places disproportionate compliance costs on thousands of small businesses. These smaller, low-production oil wells unfairly targeted by Subpart W represent a substantial share of U.S. oil production. Providing them with compliance cost relief will certainly translate into lower costs for consumers.

The Administration should also rely on pro-growth incentives that actively encourage new drilling and increase domestic production. States like Louisiana are already demonstrating how a “carrot” approach can deliver results. Beginning this year, Louisiana’s State Mineral and Energy Board published a set of royalty reduction incentives on new and existing state mineral leases. This has encouraged an increase in oil and gas production from state lands and water bottoms.

A similar federal framework, whether through targeted relief for projects on federal lands or other time-limited incentives, would send a powerful signal to oil and gas investors. When we increase domestic supply, we improve market resilience, increase competition, and place downward pressure on oil and gas prices.

Alaska must be part of this strategy. It has been predicted that Alaska crude oil production will grow in 2026 for the first time in nearly a decade, up to 438,000 barrels per day. These gains show the promise of responsible development on Alaska’s North Slope, but delays from the Small Business Administration are one hurdle currently threatening this increase in production.

Alaska Native Corporations, who are deeply involved in facilitating production in the North Slope and across the state, also often rely upon federal contracts through the SBA’s 8(a) program. Currently, many of these contracts are paused or are experiencing significant delays in approval, slowing oil and gas production in Alaska.

Therefore, the Administration should seek to remedy unnecessary pauses and delays to federal contracting. Now is not the time to impede operations connected to Alaska’s resource base, it is the time to provide certainty, speed approvals, and ensure that Alaskan businesses are not sidelined as the nation seeks greater energy security and lower prices for consumers.

Taken together, these steps would send a clear message to investors, producers, and consumers alike: the Administration is doing everything it can to bolster domestic oil production, cut red tape, and provide financial relief to American families.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Gerard Scimeca
Chairman
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy

Matthew Kandrach
President
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy

Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom

Seton Motley
President
Less Government

George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom

Roslyn Layton, PhD
Senior Fellow
National Security Institute

Gabriella Hoffman
Director, Center for Energy and Conservation
Independent Women

Charles Sauer
President
Market Institute

Paul Gessing
President
Rio Grande Foundation

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President
American Association of Senior Citizens

John Droz Jr.
Physicist and Founder
Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions

Jon Decker
Senior Fellow
Parkview Institute

Andrew Langer
President
CPAC Foundation Center for Regulatory Freedom

Kristen Walker
Senior Policy Analyst and Manager for Energy and Transportation
American Consumer Institute

Yaël Ossowski
Deputy Director
Consumer Choice Center

Alfredo Ortiz
CEO
Job Creators Network