Senate committees advance Trump’s energy and environment nominees

President Trump’s picks to lead national agencies focused on energy and the environment moved through committee votes Thursday morning.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee moved forward Candidate for the Department of the Interior Doug Burgum 18-2 and Selection of the Department of Energy Chris Wright 15-5.

Environment and Public Works Committee of the Senate Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advanced candidate. Lee Zeldin on an 11-8 vote, with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) the only Democrat to vote in favor.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) were the only votes against 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 then go to the full Senate for consideration and all three are expected to ultimately pass. While they had some opposition, they are not among Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks.

Ranking Member for Energy and Natural Resources Martin Heinrich (DN.M.) supported both candidates before the committee, although he said in comments before the vote that he was “concerned by the apparent ease of Mr. Wright with the alarming effects of climate change” and also expressed concern 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 candidates on a number of important issues, I have found that healthy relationships with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy are critical to ensuring the best outcomes for the my home state of New Mexico and for the country”.

Wyden, however, announced he would oppose both candidates, 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 claims he wants to beat the Chinese even though he seems to favor policies that undermine America’s greatest advantages, and I cannot support candidates who pursue those policies,” Wyden said.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on Environment and Public Works, voiced his opposition to Zeldin’s nomination, saying Zeldin failed to condemn a reported effort to move EPA headquarters out of of Washington or fire agency employees and pointing to their “Opinion Articles Denouncing Big Oil Approved Talking Points.”

“Is Lee Zeldin capable of standing up to this Big Oil political scumbag? Unfortunately, all signs point to no,” he said.

Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (RW.Va.) supported Zeldin, saying, “I was very pleased during his testimony to see how he intends to run the agency according to the laws that Congress has passed with the goal of prioritizing EPA’s actions on the agency’s core responsibilities that are essential to protecting health and our land, air and water.”

Burgum’s nomination has drawn criticism from environmental advocates, who cite his support for the fossil fuel industry and the likelihood that he will support Trump’s plans to expand drilling and curtail renewables. However, he has been relatively free of controversy within Congress itself and testified at a mostly collegiate hearing last week, where both Republicans and Democrats on the panel praised his track record.

Meanwhile, Wright has taken some heat for his role as CEO of a fracking company and past comments minimizing the impacts of climate changebut its supporters have also pointed to its support for other energy technologies such as nuclear.

Zeldin also faced scrutiny over what Whitehouse has described as “Trump-affiliated consulting clients and … anti-climate op-eds.”

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