Justin Schwab, an EPA veteran from President Donald Trump’s first term, is now general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Schwab signaled the move in a recent update to his LinkedIn page. A White House spokesperson confirmed his appointment Monday, but otherwise did not comment. Schwab, who started in the new job last month, did not reply to emailed questions sent Sunday.
The council, established in 1970 by the National Environmental Policy Act, has previously served as a policy shop on climate and other issues. It has worked to ensure that environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects are thorough and efficient, while also incorporating public input, according to an archived website from former President Joe Biden’s administration.
While Trump has yet to nominate a chair, Schwab will presumably play a central role in CEQ’s new assignment of handing off long-standing NEPA implementation rules to hundreds of federal agencies in the wake of a majority ruling last November by a split panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
