What Trump's Cabinet Picks Tell Us About Energy And Environment Policy

Throughout his campaign and transition, President-Elect Donald Trump has been hard to pin down on some energy and environmental policy issues. While his support for fossil fuels has been consistent, many other policy positions have changed. What do his cabinet choices for the key energy and environment posts tell us about the policy direction of the next administration?

Clearly, his commitment to rolling back climate change rules and policies remains strong. While some environmentalists were heartened by Trump's apparent softening on his hardline stance against the Paris climate agreement and his meetings with well-known climate hawks such as Al Gore, Trump's choice of Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator signals a commitment to reversing the climate change agenda that President Obama put in place. Pruitt has questioned the science on climate change and has led the charge against the Clean Power Plan and other policies that limit greenhouse gas emissions. His nomination indicates a doubling down on the effort to reverse climate change policy.

Rick Perry, nominee for Secretary of Energy, is also a climate skeptic and has been a long-time ally of the oil and gas industry. Perry's role in the energy department may not bode well for policies which work to increase energy efficiency or efforts to increase research and development funding for renewable power.

Ryan Zinke has been tapped by Trump to lead the Interior Department. Zinke has supported efforts to open up more public lands for a wide range of purposes. With him at the helm of the department, one should expect policies that will focus less on conservation and more on energy development and recreation on our public lands.

Much of the policy direction in a Trump Administration still needs to be developed - but these key appointments have started to fill in some of what we might see in 2017 and beyond.