How environmental agencies could be handled under the new Trump administration
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How environmental agencies could be handled under the new Trump administration

President-elect Donald Trump is fast name members of his cabinet and administration – some of which will oversee large government agencies responsible for everything from clean water and air to energy to how our public lands are managed.

What Trump’s picks can accomplish is largely based on the agency they oversee.

Here’s a look at what these potential heads of government would be responsible for after taking office.

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The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Trump pointed to earlier Republican Representative Lee Zeldin will lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way that unleashes the power of American businesses, while maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said. “He will set new standards for environmental review and maintenance, which will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”

The EPA works to protect the environment of the United States, especially as it relates to human health.

PHOTO: Congressman Lee Zeldin, Republican candidate for governor of New York, speaks on stage during his election watch party in New York City, November 8, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)PHOTO: Congressman Lee Zeldin, Republican candidate for governor of New York, speaks on stage during his election watch party in New York City, November 8, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)

PHOTO: Congressman Lee Zeldin, Republican candidate for governor of New York, speaks on stage during his election watch party in New York City, November 8, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)

The agency includes researchers who study environmental issues at laboratories and academic institutions across the country, a regulatory arm that implements environmental laws passed by Congress through national standards, and grant programs that fund projects such as community cleanups, recycling infrastructure, electric school buses, and others.

The “deregulatory decisions” Trump referred to in his Zeldin announcement are widely expected by environmental groups to include a series of rollbacks of Biden-era regulations and environmental protections around things like emissions standards for vehicles and power plants.

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Aru Shiney-Ajay, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement – a youth-led climate advocacy group – said the selection of Zeldin is “yet another example of Trump filling his administration with unqualified loyalists who lack the expertise needed to manage key federal agencies like the EPA. “

Shiney-Ajay called Zeldin’s record on climate “appalling,” highlighting aspects of his congressional voting record, including voting against the Biden administration’s centerpiece climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act.

Zeldin’s record from his time in Congress also includes some pro-environment votes that indicate a concern for water issues, including votes to allow the EPA to determine PFAS drinking water standards and a reauthorization of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Ministry of the Interior

Trump knocked North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior.

DOI manages the country’s natural resources and public lands, in addition to navigating relationships with indigenous tribes and the conservation of the environment and endangered species.

Under the Biden administration, the department has prioritized development of clean energyimprove relations with tribal nations and the conservation and restoration of public lands and waters through “America the Beautiful” initiative.

In his official announcement about Burgum, Trump said the governor’s role as secretary of the interior and chairman of a newly formed “National Energy Council” will lead to “American energy dominance,” which was a key refrain for the president-elect on the campaign trail. He also expressed a desire to reduce the emphasis on long-standing regulations, similar to his comments about Zeldin’s appointment as EPA administrator.

Trump said the “National Energy Council” will consist of all departments and agencies involved in the permitting, generation, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation of all forms of American energy.

“This council will oversee the path to America’s energy dominance by cutting red tape, increasing private sector investment in all sectors of the economy, and by focusing on innovation over long-standing, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” Trump said in Burgum’s statement new role.

Burgum’s own brief presidential campaign included energy as one of his top priorities, with the governor saying he wanted “dramatically increase energy production“in the United States

PHOTO: Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)PHOTO: Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

PHOTO: Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Following the news that Burgum would lead the DOI under the incoming Trump administration, Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity — a legal-focused nonprofit working to protect endangered species — said Burgum would be “disastrous” in the role.

“Burgum will be a disastrous Secretary of the Interior who will sacrifice our public lands and endangered animals on the altar of fossil fuel industry profits,” Suckling argued.

His home state of North Dakota is the third largest supplier of crude oil in the country and has the third largest reserves, according to US Energy Information Administration. The state also relies heavily on coal-fired power plants, which provide 55% of its electricity, although the state also has a significant wind footprint with 36% of power coming from wind energy, according to the EIA.

Department of Energy

Trump has not yet named his choice Department of Energywhich is responsible for administering national energy policy, funding energy research, and managing the US nuclear power infrastructure.

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One of DOE’s key projects this year has been a study on the climate impacts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after the department announced a pause in approvals for LNG export projects.

LNG production has boomed during both the Biden administration and Trump’s first term. As of 2023, the US is the world’s leading exporter of LNG, according to EIA.

PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 13, 2024. (Allison Robbert/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 13, 2024. (Allison Robbert/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 13, 2024. (Allison Robbert/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

On Friday, House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee released a letter urging current DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm to lift the pause, says the study aimed at “hampering the incoming president’s administration.”

“The results of the 2024 presidential election are clear, and DOE’s leadership will soon change,” the representatives wrote. “As a traditional part of the peaceful transition of power, DOE should immediately halt work on any plans to expand the scope of review or add new conditions to LNG export licenses. DOE should immediately lift the ban on LNG export approvals in accordance with the NGA and the district court’s decision. “

How environmental agencies could be handled under the new Trump administration originally appeared on abcnews.go.com