Committee sets vote on DOE, Interior nominees

By Manuel Quiñones | 07/16/2025 06:25 AM EDT

One pick would lead the nation’s coal mine regulator. Another would be in charge of the Department of Energy’s work on renewables.

Lanny Erdos, nominee to lead the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, during his confirmation hearing. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is pushing more of President Donald Trump’s nominees to the floor.

The panel will vote Wednesday on Lanny Erdos to lead the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Also on the agenda are several Department of Energy nominees, including Audrey Robertson to lead the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Democrats have expressed concern about Robertson because of Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s hostility to wind and solar energy and her own background in oil and gas. House Republicans and the president are proposing deep cuts to EERE.

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