This article was initially published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Individuals with connections to fossil fuel sectors and conservative think tanks backed by oil tycoons were rapidly appointed by the Trump administration to critical positions regarding environmental and energy policies, according to a newly released report.
Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project, two nonprofit groups monitoring corporate influence in governance, assessed the backgrounds of 111 executive branch nominees and appointees in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) responsible for environmental and energy policy. The analysis revealed that 43 individuals had ties to the fossil fuel sector, along with 12 connected to right-wing think tanks, many of which received funding from Texas oil magnate Tim Dunn.
Within the 37 nominees needing Senate confirmation for the Department of Energy (DOE), EPA, and DOI, the report highlighted that 25 had links to pollution-heavy industries, including oil, gas, and mining sectors. The document elaborates on the fossil fuel connections of key Cabinet members such as Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in addition to lesser-known nominees like Audrey Robertson, a past fracking executive nominated to head the DOE’s efficiency and renewable energy office.
According to authors Alan Zibel from Public Citizen and Toni Aguilar Rosenthal from the Revolving Door Project, “The officials spearheading Trump’s second administration, alongside Trump himself, demonstrate a swift and proactive approach to benefitting allies in fossil fuel and mining sectors. They have initiated an avalanche of actions against Trump’s perceived foes and industries he opposes, specifically targeting renewable energy.”
In a statement via email, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly asserted that “President Trump was elected with a strong mandate to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ and unlock America’s energy capabilities.”
“It’s entirely logical for his energy nominees to be in line with the President’s agenda and possess a thorough understanding of the field,” Kelly added.
The evident influence of the fossil fuel sector on the current administration, coupled with Trump’s inclination towards advocating fossil fuel interests, has been unmistakable.
The key legislation of Trump’s second term, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, expanded lease sales for oil and gas exploration and made millions of acres of federal land available for mining, while hastening the phaseout of tax credits for wind and solar initiatives.
Mike Sommers, President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, noted in a statement to CNBC at the time that the bill “incorporates nearly all of our priorities.”
The EPA also published a rule in July extending deadlines for the oil and gas sector to curb emissions of methane and other toxic pollutants. An industry insider confirmed to Inside Climate News that the industry sought this extension.
The administration’s strategy to repeal the EPA’s “endangerment finding” concerning greenhouse gases would also eliminate the basis for the agency’s ability to regulate emissions from vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas activities.
The oil and gas sector allocated over $70 million to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2025, as reported by the nonprofit organization OpenSecrets. This amount illustrates that the industry is spending slightly less compared to 2024, a year that many watchdog groups characterized as a period when lobbying strategies were particularly intense to achieve significant objectives.
A notable example of the Trump administration’s affinity towards fossil fuel interests is Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Wright is the founder and former CEO of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based fracking firm. Under his leadership, the DOE commissioned what top climate scientists condemned as an “antiscientific” report that minimized the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate.
In a guest piece for The Economist in July, he claimed that climate change ought to be seen as “not an existential crisis but a tangible phenomenon that is a by-product of progress.”
In an interaction with an Inside Climate News reporter last week, when questioned about how his history as a fossil fuel executive has influenced his views on climate change, Wright promoted natural gas as a cleaner energy source compared to coal, suggesting that the benefits to humanity derived from fossil fuels overshadow the adverse impacts of climate change.
“The dominant reason for reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the United States—around 60 percent—stems from natural gas replacing coal in the power sector,” he stated. “If climate change were a major concern, it would have been fantastic for my business. We would require more natural gas, more scrutiny of underground injections.
“However, I would emphasize, examine the data. Observe the facts. Since the introduction of fossil fuels, or hydrocarbons as I refer to them, human life expectancy has doubled more than two times. Wealth per individual globally has increased approximately 16-fold,” Wright remarked.
“Climate change is undoubtedly real, but when we evaluate the negatives in comparison to the positives, they aren’t even in the same ZIP code,” he added.
Nonetheless, while natural gas does emit less carbon dioxide compared to coal when combusted, studies indicate that the emission reduction figures put forth by some proponents may be overstated and do not adequately factor in methane leaks—a potent greenhouse gas—during the extraction and transportation processes.
Indeed, if methane emissions from natural gas are at the higher range of estimates, it is possible it is no cleaner than coal, stated MIT professor Desirée Plata in 2023. Concurrently, the Trump administration is working to boost the utilization of coal.
Positions at the DOE have also been filled with close associates of Wright from his former company.
Robertson, a founding member of Franklin Mountain Energy and prior board member of Liberty Energy, was nominated for the assistant secretary role for energy efficiency and renewable energy and is currently awaiting full Senate confirmation.
Environmental advocates criticized her nomination due to her lack of experience in alternative energy while being a fracking executive.
Franklin Mountain was acquired by Coterra Energy in 2024. Robertson has pledged to divest her Liberty stock and recuse herself from involvement with Liberty, Franklin Mountain, and several other energy firms linked to her. Coterra has not responded to inquiries for comment.
Additionally, the report from Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project points to Aaron Szabo, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. Szabo transitioned from being a federal civil servant to a lobbyist, previously representing various industries, including fossil fuel groups like the American Petroleum Institute, Duke Energy, and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America.
During Trump’s first term, the report notes, Szabo worked on repealing numerous air quality regulations, replacing them with “softer, industry-friendly alternatives.”
The EPA, in response to Inside Climate News in August regarding Szabo’s previous fossil fuel clients, affirmed that he collaborates with the agency’s Ethics Office “to ensure all relevant ethical obligations are met” and stated that it is misleading to selectively highlight clients to distort the broader representation of industries.
At the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Ben Kochman has now assumed the deputy administrator role, having been the director of pipeline safety policy at the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, a group representing pipeline interests.
Following the agency’s announcement of changes in June limiting when enhanced penalties would apply to pipeline firms for violations, Kochman remarked that this decision was made in response to “four years of the Biden Administration’s misguided attempts to shift PHMSA into an environmental regulatory role.”
“We are ensuring due process and keeping safety as our primary focus,” he remarked in a press release.
The mission of the agency is stated as “to protect people and the environment by promoting the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials fundamental to our daily lives.”
Kochman said in a statement to Inside Climate News that the agency’s focus is to protect the environment by “preventing incidents before they take place.” He deemed the Biden administration’s strategy to extend the agency’s role in environmental protection “grossly overreaching.”
“Under the Trump Administration, PHMSA is a fact-based, data-driven agency focused on safeguarding safety in the energy and hazardous materials sectors,” he added.
Bill Caram, Executive Director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit focused on education and advocacy, expressed concern regarding “revolving door” appointments that are “far from uncommon.”
“It raises serious concerns when lobbyists transition directly into regulatory roles for sectors they previously represented,” he observed. “In this instance, we’ve witnessed policy objectives aligning closely with recent lobbying efforts, which raises significant questions about regulatory independence.”
With the recent approval of PHMSA administrator Paul Roberti, who possesses considerable regulatory experience, Caram expressed hope for a “balanced approach.”
The report from Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project also emphasizes the growing impact of right-wing think tanks, such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the America First Policy Institute. Oil billionaire Dunn plays a significant role as a funder and board member of both groups. Dunn, who reportedly amassed $2.2 billion in 2023 from selling his company CrownQuest Operating, was also a major financial backer of Trump.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, another Texan, has previously led both organizations as president.
Aguilar Rosenthal from the Revolving Door Project noted the connection between the increasing sway of independent oil figures like Dunn in the federal government and a return to “the established practice of climate denialism.” The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s website contains numerous articles disputing well-recognized climate science and deriding notions like “climate anxiety.”
The group has also initiated legal challenges against the Biden administration regarding the Vineyard Wind offshore energy project in Massachusetts, but the case was dismissed, and they are now petitioning the DOI and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for a reconsideration of the project’s permits.
“They have persistently attempted to undermine the wind energy sector for years,” Aguilar Rosenthal stated. “They have carried that anti-wind and solar mindset into the administration.”
The Texas Public Policy Foundation declined to comment.
Inside Climate News reporter Lauren Dalban contributed to this article.
