President Donald Trump’s nominee for a top State Department environment position pointed to deep-sea mining and protecting the plastics industry as among his priorities.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday questioned Wesley Brooks to become assistant secretary of State for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs. He is currently deputy assistant administrator for regulatory and scientific affairs at EPA’s Office of Water.
Brooks emphasized the need for “commonsense environmental policy.” He stressed critical minerals production, global talks on plastics and preventing regulations that “stifle innovation and disadvantage U.S. companies.”
The nominee said he wanted to ensure the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs “is at the leading edge of U.S. efforts to explore, exploit and defend these vital frontiers so that the 21st century remains an American century.”
