Trump energy and environment nominees hit the Hill
Chris Wright, Doug Burgum and Lee Zeldin. Photos: Andy Cross, Variety, Tom Williams via Getty Images
President-elect Trump's top energy and environmental nominees are headed to Capitol Hill this week for confirmation hearings.
Why it matters: Interior, DOE and EPA will be central to carrying out the president-elect's plans to expand oil and gas drilling and roll back regulations on car and power plant emissions.
Here's what we're watching…
Chris Wright, Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The oil and gas executive has questioned the urgency of climate change but has supported geothermal and nuclear technology.
- Wright — an industry executive tapped to oversee a department previously led by a governor and scientists — is in "a position to really make or break" DOE grant and loan programs, said Lindsey Baxter Griffith, CEO of Clean Tomorrow and former congressional and DOE staffer.
- The DOE's Loan Programs Office and energy demonstrations portfolio have been the biggest GOP targets but are hugely popular with the private sector, she said.
Doug Burgum, Thursday at 10 a.m.
The North Dakota governor was also tapped to lead a new National Energy Council, and his hearing should shine some light on what it'll do.
- He's likely to face scrutiny on land management rules, given that North Dakota doesn't have much federal land compared with Western states.
- The Western Energy Alliance called him the "perfect pick" for Interior, which oversees about one-quarter of all American oil and gas production.
- The committee rescheduled the hearing from Tuesday after Lee said the Office of Government Ethics hadn't fully cleared Burgum's paperwork.
Lee Zeldin, Thursday at 10 a.m.
EPW Chair Shelley Moore Capito, who called Zeldin "an excellent pick," told Axios that he should have an advantage in confirmation having come from the Hill and enjoying preexisting relationships with senators.
- Zeldin should face questions about his stance on the EPA's renewable fuels program after the Biden administration missed a deadline on setting 2026 blending obligations, said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuel Association.
- EPA has a "fairly short time frame to try and get 2026 volumes finalized before the end of this year and in place so that the industry and the supply chain knows what is expected for next year and hopefully beyond," Cooper said.
- A Newsday ad from EDF, which was founded in Zeldin's home of Long Island, asked the nominee to "remember his roots" and protect the environment and public health.
