Trump says U.S. oil fields, coal mines “open for business.”

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump had a message for the billionaires and CEOs gathered in the Swiss town of Davos for the World Economic Forum this week: U.S. oil fields and coal mines are open for business.

“We are lifting selfimposed restrictions on energy production to provide affordable power to our citizens and businesses and to promote energy security for our friends all around the world,” the president said. “No country should be held hostage to a single provider of energy. America is roaring back, and now is the time to invest in the future of America.”

The United States, thanks to the so-called shale revolution that opened vast new reserves, has become one of the world’s largest producers of oil and natural gas, and a growing energy exporter, with much of it moving to

foreign markets through Houston and other Gulf Coast ports. U.S. oil producers are on track to pump a record 10 million barrels a day of crude this year.

Trump has made the expansion of the U.S. energy industry a key component of his economic policy. His administration has slashed regulations, opened public lands to drilling and proposed a vast expansion of offshore drilling, encompassing most of the nation’s coastlines.

His comments on energy were part of a larger “America First” speech, in which Trump was not shy about encouraging the world’s economic elite to invest in the United States.

“We have dramatically cut taxes it make America competitive. We are eliminating burdensome regulations at a record pace. We are reforming the bureaucracy to make it lean, responsive and accountable, and we are insuring our laws are enforced fairly,’ he said. “We have the best colleges and universities in the world, and we have the best workers in the world. Energy is abundant and affordable. There is never been a better time to do business in America.”