New EPA administrator sworn in, other energy-related picks advancing through Senate
Lee Zeldin was sworn in as the 17th administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Jan. 29, 2025, with President Trump’s picks to lead the Interior and Energy departments advancing toward Senate confirmation.
The Senate approved Zeldin, a former US representative from New York, by a vote of 56-42.
In an EPA press release Jan. 30, Zeldin said he was honored to serve, and said his EPA would prioritize “economic prosperity” as it works on environmental issues.
During his confirmation hearing, Democrats questioned Zeldin on climate change, given that Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a hoax and Zeldin was paid for opinion pieces that criticized a variety of climate actions.
Meanwhile, Trump’s choice to helm the Interior Department Doug Burgum was posed for confirmation Jan. 30, after the Senate voted 78-20 on Jan. 29 to move the nomination to the floor.
Chris Wright, the nominee for the Energy Department, could also see Senate confirmation by Jan. 31, 2025.
Burgum, the former North Dakota government and Trump’s campaign energy advisor, is tasked with opening more federal lands and waters to oil and gas development. At his confirmation hearing, Burgum said he would focus on increasing fossil fuel production on federal lands over renewables. One of Trump’s first moves as president was to issue executive orders withdrawing all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from federal wind leasing while directing Interior and other agencies to boost fossil fuel development (OGJ Online, Jan. 21, 2025).
During his two terms as governor, Burgum repeatedly sued the Interior Department over the department’s energy leasing rules. North Dakota is the third-largest oil-producing state, with output of over 1 million b/d, largely from the Bakken formation.
Burgum will chair Trump’s newly created National Energy Council that Trump said will “oversee the path to US energy dominance.”
Liberty Energy chief executive Wright, who would also serve as a member of the new energy council, is an advocate for oil and gas development and has said there is no climate crisis, and we are not in the midst of an energy transition.
Cathy Landry | Washington Correspondent
Cathy Landry has worked over 20 years as a journalist, including 17 years as an energy reporter with Platts News Service (now S&P Global) in Washington and London.
She has served as a wire-service reporter, general news and sports reporter for local newspapers and a feature writer for association and company publications.
Cathy has deep public policy experience, having worked 15 years in Washington energy circles.
She earned a master’s degree in government from The Johns Hopkins University and studied newspaper journalism and psychology at Syracuse University.
