Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Expect tough questions about climate, the nuclear arsenal and public lands when energy and environmental nominees hit the Senate dais next year.
Why it matters: President-elect Trump's picks for EPA, DOE and Interior look to have a solid path to confirmation, relative to his controversial selections at other agencies. But Democrats still have issues to raise.
Let's start with Energy and Natural Resources, which will handle Interior pick Doug Burgum and DOE pick Chris Wright.
- Incoming ENR Chair Mike Lee has met with both Wright and Burgum. Prospective Ranking Member Martin Heinrich said he hadn't yet met with either.
- "With Mr. Wright, one of the things that I need to understand is his grasp of the portions of the portfolio that are not, frankly, energy-related," namely nuclear weapons, Heinrich told Axios.
- Burgum attended the Senate GOP policy lunch Tuesday and gave brief remarks about his priorities, according to Sen. Kevin Cramer.
Zoom in: Democrats on the panel told Axios they're open to voting for both nominees ahead of one-on-one meetings.
- Sen. John Hickenlooper knows Wright through a mutual friend: "I think that he deserves the benefit of doubt. The guy's a smart guy."
- But, Hickenlooper added, "there are all kinds of allegations of misrepresenting data, or drawing false conclusions."
- Sen. Ron Wyden, meanwhile, said he wants to press the case for the IRA with Trump's nominees, given DOE's loan and grant programs and the role it has played in shaping the guidance for the law's tax credits.
Our thought bubble: Burgum, in particular, has some potential for a bipartisan confirmation because Democrats from Western states often want to have a relationship with the agency.
- Heinrich, for instance, voted for David Bernhardt, Trump's last pick for Interior.
- "I have a way of approaching these things," Heinrich said. "It starts with, are you qualified for the job? Are you supportive or not of the underlying mission of the agency?"
On Environment and Public Works, Republicans love former Rep. Lee Zeldin for EPA, despite his lack of experience on environmental issues.
- "He's really, really smart, and I think he's going to do an excellent job," Sen. Dan Sullivan told reporters.
- Sullivan said he wants to cover "a lot of Alaska issues" during the confirmation hearing, noting that the state has more than 60% of the nation's wetlands.
What they're saying: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse quipped that he wants to hear that Zeldin "disagrees with [John] Barrasso big-time," pointing to the Wyoming Republican as they rode the Senate subway together.
- Turning serious, he told Axios: "He has been less toxic than a lot of other Trump appointees, but we haven't had the chance to explore yet whether [climate change] is something he's willing to take seriously."
What we're watching: What kind of role Trump's new energy council at the White House plays in dictating policy at these agencies (all three noms are slated to serve on it).
- Cramer said he sees it as a coordinating body to "make sure that we're in a consistent national energy policy direction."
