FROM: Matthew Davis, Vice President of Federal Policy, League of Conservation Voters
TO: Interested Parties
Re: MEMO: What We Expect from Trump’s Cabinet Confirmation Hearings

With energy costs high and projected to rise further with increased demand, and with costly and devastating climate disasters like the current horrific wildfires spreading across Southern California, Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the extreme heatwaves last summer, it’s never been more urgent that our government advance policies that build the clean energy economy that drives down costs, creates jobs at home, and protects our communities and our environment. Public agencies are tasked with following the law, protecting the American people, holding corporations accountable, addressing the climate crisis, making science and public input based decisions, and upholding our democratic values. 

Unfortunately, President Trump has nominated the most anti-environment, anti-democracy billionaire-filled cabinet in history. This slate of nominees appears to have been chosen not for their job qualifications, but rather for their willingness to do the bidding of their billionaire cronies to pad their pockets and their fealty to President Trump’s promise to threaten his political opponents. 

Ahead of the confirmation hearings for critical agencies beginning next week, here is what we are watching for during the confirmation process, and some questions the nominees should answer.

What We Expect

With this slate of cabinet nominees, it is clear that President Trump is requiring that his cabinet echo his disregard for the realities of the climate crisis and the economic downsides of relying on polluting oil and gas to the exclusion of cleaner, cheaper, and faster developed energy like wind and solar–despite winning an election where prices and the economy were top concerns. At his goading, his followers in Congress have said they will eliminate clean energy tax credits that research indicates could result in families’ energy bills increasing by hundreds of dollars each year and are creating good-paying jobs across the country with a majority of those in districts held by Republicans in Congress. These nominees are not only a part of the wealthy elite that Trump is surrounding himself with, but many of them also have ties to the Big Oil and Big Polluters they would be in charge of regulating. Nominees like Chris Wright, Doug Burgum and Pam Bondi all have concerning ties to Big Oil that serve as conflicts of interest, or they have previously demonstrated their allegiance to Big Oil executives over the health and safety of our communities. Trump’s nominee for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, has just a 14% environmental score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. With little  experience managing agencies with the size and scope of Interior, EPA or Energy, it appears that the chief criteria for nomination were personal loyalty to Trump, and/or the size of one’s bank account. As such, we mostly expect to hear, and have already heard, unwavering adhesion to Trump’s most extreme and off the wall anti-environmental positions. 

Questions Nominees Should Have to Answer 

In advance of the upcoming confirmation hearings, and given the immense responsibility of these positions, here are some important issues that should be raised and addressed. 

1. According to a new analysis, repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act would raise energy prices by an average of 10% for consumers across the country–in some states it would be much higher – over $250/year for households in four states, for example. How will you ensure Americans continue to enjoy the clean energy and energy-saving benefits that will lower costs while ensuring cleaner air and water?
2. The clean energy investments being made in the US have led to a major manufacturing renaissance – hundreds of billions of dollars in private investments helping create jobs in cities, suburbs and rural communities across the country. How will you continue to support this trend? Do you support President Trump’s vow to claw back these investments even though it would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, with a high proportion in Republican districts?
3. The devastating impacts of extreme weather are all around us and are harming communities and costing taxpayers tremendously–with science making it clear that climate change is worsening these disasters. Do you think taxpayers or polluters should be paying for the damage being wrought by climate change-fueled extreme weather?
4. President Trump and a number of his closest associates and nominees have repeatedly disregarded scientists and well-established and researched theories, to serve their own interests and conspiracy theories. Will you maintain a respect for science and the findings provided by scientists?
5. For the first time in a number of years, utilities are seeing increased demand for electricity, thanks to the explosive growth and electrical needs of data centers, electrification of the transportation fleet and buildings, and reshoring of manufacturing projects. The fact that we’ve seen sizzling-fast deployment of solar and wind in the past few years has blunted price increases, given that clean energy is the cheapest and fastest source of energy to bring online. What would you do to ensure that clean electricity projects continue to ramp up production and drive down energy costs for families?
6. If you support all of the above energy and American energy dominance, banning clean energy takes us in exactly the wrong direction. Renewable energy is the fastest and cheapest source of energy to bring online and essential to meeting our growing energy demands. Do you agree that homegrown clean energy must be a part of delivering American energy dominance?
7. Congress establishes the laws and boundaries within which the federal agencies are authorized to operate. On countless occasions, President Trump and colleagues have put forward plans and have made public statements disregarding these laws. Will you follow the laws that dictate your service and the mission of the Department or Office you are being considered to run. And will you uphold those laws even when pressured by President Trump to disregard them in order to score political points? 
8. President Trump has said he wants to be a dictator, weaponize law enforcement against political opponents, use the military against peaceful protestors, and retaliate against those who sought justice for his and his friends’ crimes. Will you commit to refuse illegal orders, follow the law, and serve the public, not just the president’s personal interests?

Questions for Specific Nominees: 

Chris Wright, Secretary of the Department of Energy

• A recent study by the Department of Energy found that unconstrained LNG exports would increase wholesale domestic natural gas prices by over 30 percent. How will you, as Secretary of the Department of Energy, address rising energy prices from LNG exports?
• Did you attend the Mar a Lago oil and gas executive dinner on April 11, 2024 organized by DOI nominee Doug Burgum when President Trump asked for $1B in campaign-related spending in exchange for carrying out your wishes?  How much did you and your company spend on the presidential election? Is it safe to draw the conclusion that those represented at the dinner did in fact spend the requested $1 billion since you and Mr. Burgum have been picked to run the offices charged with overseeing our nation’s energy and lands and waters?  

Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Department of the Interior

• Nearly forty percent of Americans live in coastal counties that rely on a healthy ocean to thrive. Offshore drilling threatens our environment, public health, coastal economies, fisheries, and vital marine ecosystems. Nearly 400 municipalities and over 2,300 elected officials across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts have formally opposed the expansion of offshore drilling in these areas. How do you plan to and do you commit as Secretary of the Interior to safeguard coastal communities and our coastal resources? 
• Americans overwhelmingly support our public lands and our national monuments, which have been established by both Democrat and Republican Presidents with authorities given to them under the Antiquities Act. Will you commit to protecting all national monuments?
• Offshore wind is one of the critical, clean, steady electric generation supplies that will help fuel the reshoring of manufacturing, job growth, and U.S. energy dominance. If you and the incoming Trump administration purportedly support an “all of the above” energy strategy, why would you be picking to support offshore oil and gas drilling while you disparage and plan to block offshore wind development? 
• You helped organize the Mar a Lago oil and gas executive dinner on April 11, 2024 where President Trump asked for $1 billion in campaign-related spending in exchange for carrying out the wishes of the oil and gas industry. Please tell us more about what specific demands were expressed by those oil executives in exchange for their political support, and given the clear conflict of interest can you confirm that you will recuse yourself from any policy decisions that directly affect those companies in attendance at the dinner?

Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

• Toxic PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are contaminating drinking water and lands across the country. The public is rightly outraged that chemical companies knew the potential for harm but continued to dump these toxic chemicals into our communities  and have tried to dodge responsibility for the health impacts and huge costs of cleanup. During your time as a Representative, you voted for the PFAS Protection Act, which would require multiple actions to protect our families like requiring drinking water standards, designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous, limit industrial discharge, fund water treatment, and more. Do you still support the federal government taking strong actions to reduce exposure to PFAS, including drinking water standards, action under the Superfund law, and other pieces of the PFAS Protection Act? What additional actions do you think the EPA should take to protect public health from PFAS and hold the companies that polluted our communities accountable?
• In 2020, you voted against slashing EPA’s funding to the draconian levels proposed by the first Trump administration – a cut of nearly 30 percent. Is this still your position? If President Trump were to introduce similar budget cuts to the EPA during this term, would you vote for or against those cuts? Do you think you would be able to carry out the mission of EPA with funding levels that are so low and far below historical averages?