President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is expected to entrust EPA’s air office to an alum of the former president’s first term with extensive experience in environmental regulation.
Former Trump officials and industry advocates told POLITICO’s E&E News that while the former president put a premium on personal loyalty when choosing second-term Cabinet members, his team would prioritize institutional knowledge and commitment to the incoming president’s policy agenda when filling other senior positions.
The choice of ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) — a Trump loyalist who has little track record in environmental policy — increases the likelihood that the transition team will fill other top EPA posts with former Trump officials with regulatory chops.
“Zeldin is a newcomer to EPA, so the staff you put around him is going to be critical if they want to be effective,” said an official from Trump’s first term.
