Report uncovers fossil fuel links among Trump administration appointees
A new report from Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project identifies 43 individuals with fossil fuel industry ties among 111 nominees and appointees to key environmental and energy agencies. The analysis highlights swift appointments favoring oil and gas interests, including Cabinet members like Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Critics warn of aggressive policies undermining renewable energy and climate protections.
Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project examined backgrounds of 111 nominees and appointees to agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (DOI), and Department of Energy (DOE). They identified 43 with fossil fuel industry connections and 12 linked to right-wing think tanks funded by oil tycoons, including Texan Tim Dunn. Among 37 Senate-confirmed nominees to DOE, EPA, and DOI, 25 had ties to polluting sectors like oil, gas, and mining.
The report spotlights Cabinet figures, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, founder and former CEO of fracking firm Liberty Energy, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. It also notes Audrey Robertson, a former fracking executive and Liberty Energy board member, nominated to lead DOE's efficiency and renewable energy office, though she awaits full Senate confirmation. Robertson founded Franklin Mountain Energy, acquired by Coterra Energy in 2024, and agreed to recuse herself from related activities.
"The officials running Trump’s second administration... have been far swifter and more aggressive in enacting favors for allies in the fossil fuel and mining industries," wrote authors Alan Zibel and Toni Aguilar Rosenthal. They added that the administration has launched "an avalanche of attacks" on renewables.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the picks: "President Trump was elected with an overwhelming mandate to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’... It’s totally logical that his energy nominees would align with the agenda."
Policy actions include the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, boosting oil and gas leases and federal land mining while hastening tax credit phaseouts for wind and solar. Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute called it encompassing "almost all of our priorities." In July, the EPA extended methane emission deadlines at industry request. The administration plans to rescind the EPA's greenhouse gas endangerment finding, curbing vehicle and power plant regulations.
Oil and gas lobbying exceeded $70 million in early 2025. Wright emphasized natural gas's role in 60% of U.S. emission reductions by displacing coal, arguing fossil fuels' benefits—like doubled life expectancy and 16-fold wealth growth—outweigh climate downsides.
Other appointees include EPA's Aaron Szabo, a former lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, and PHMSA's Ben Kochman, ex-pipeline industry advocate. Bill Caram of Pipeline Safety Trust noted concerns over regulatory independence but hopes for balance under new PHMSA head Paul Roberti.
The report also flags think tank influence, with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins tied to Dunn-funded groups promoting climate denialism and opposing offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind.