Fossil Fuel Allies May Run DOE and DOI

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA, will likely be offered the top job at Interior, outlets reported Friday. McMorris Rodgers has opposed action on climate change and has voted in favor of expanded offshore drilling and legislation, making it easier to drill within tribal territories.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Trump's pick to oversee America's lands, is an oil industry-friendly climate science denier https://t.co/FYBx9bSfNQ pic.twitter.com/ByHyCt5hHQ

— Climate Central (@ClimateCentral) December 11, 2016

Meanwhile, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who once forgot the name of the Department of Energy while attempting to say he’d abolish it during a presidential debate, is the leading contender to head the agency.

Remember Rick Perry's oops gaffe, when he forgot the third fed department he wanted to close?

It was Energy, which he's now tapped to run.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) December 11, 2016

Perry is also opposed to climate action, has taken more than $12 million in donations from the oil and gas industry and sits on the board of the Dakota Access Pipeline parent company Energy Transfer Partners.

#TrumpWatch: Trump’s Involvement in Dakota Access Pipeline Continues to Raise Eyebrows https://t.co/NdwyVfCFjt @ukycc @carbonmeme

— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) November 29, 2016

For a deeper dive:

DOI: WSJ, Politico, Mother Jones, The Hill, Reuters

DOE: Reuters, Bloomberg, The Guardian

Commentary: The Guardian, Oliver Milman analysis

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