President Trump’s picks to lead the nation’s energy and environment-focused agencies all sailed through committee votes on Thursday morning.
The Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Interior Department nominee Doug Burgum 18-2 and Energy Department pick Chris Wright 15-5.
The Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee advanced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominee Lee Zeldin in an 11-8 vote, with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) as the only Democrat voting in favor.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) were the only nay votes on Burgum, while Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined them in opposing Wright.
The nominees will next go to the full Senate for consideration and all three are expected to ultimately pass. Although they did have some opposition, they are not among Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks.
Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) backed both nominees before the committee, though he said in remarks ahead of the vote that he was “worried by Mr. Wright’s apparent ease with the alarming effects of climate change” and also expressed concerns about Burgum’s “belief that wind and solar energy represent unreliable energy sources that are not cost competitive with thermal generation, and that battery technology is not ready for commercial deployment.”
However, he added that “while I have disagreements with both of these nominees on several important topics, I have found that healthy relationships with the secretary of the interior and the secretary of energy are critical to securing the best outcomes for my home state of New Mexico and for the country.”
Wyden, however, announced he would oppose both nominees, citing the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits, of which he was a key architect, and Trump’s opposition to them.
“President Trump states he wants to beat the Chinese while seeming to prefer policies that undermine America’s greatest advantages, and I cannot support nominees that will carry out these policies,” Wyden said.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on Environment and Public Works, expressed opposition to Zeldin’s nomination, saying Zeldin did not condemn a reported effort to move the EPA headquarters out of Washington or fire agency employees and pointing to his “op-eds spouting Big Oil-approved talking points.”
“Is Lee Zeldin capable of standing against that Big Oil political juggernaut? Sadly, all signs point to no,” he said.
Republican Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) supported Zeldin, saying, “I was very pleased during his testimony see how he intends to run the agency in line with the laws that Congress has passed with the goal of prioritizing EPA actions on the core responsibilities of the agency that are essential to protecting health and our land, air and water.”
Burgum’s nomination has drawn criticism from environmental advocates, who cite his backing of the fossil fuel industry and the likelihood he will support Trump’s plans to expand drilling and pare back renewables. However, he has been relatively free of controversy within Congress itself and testified in a largely collegial hearing last week, where both Republicans and Democrats on the panel praised his track record.
Meanwhile, Wright has received some heat for his role as the CEO of a fracking company and past comments downplaying the impacts of climate change, but his supporters have also pointed out his support for other energy technologies like nuclear.
Zeldin also faced some scrutiny over what Whitehouse has described as “Trump-affiliated consulting clients and … anti-climate op-eds.”
