The Trump Interior Department has hired an energy expert with experience at the department and on Capitol Hill as a top official, according to two people familiar with the hire.
Michael Olsen, a longtime renewable and fossil fuel energy policy insider, joined the Interior Department this week, said those people, who were granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Olsen joined the department as a senior official working on Interior Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor’s team, one of the people said.
The details of Olsen’s position and portfolio at Interior haven’t been publicly announced. The department’s press office declined to comment on personnel matters when asked about his position.
His appointment comes as President Donald Trump regularly assails policies that promote renewable energy — and wind power in particular. Trump has made it a priority to stop offshore wind projects during his second term.
