President-elect Donald Trump has begun announcing his administration's leadership team, with several appointments signaling a dramatic shift in federal energy and environmental policy. Of particular interest to heating fuel dealers and home comfort businesses are his selections for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Interior Secretary, and Energy Secretary.

Lee Zeldin, a former Congressman from Long Island, New York, has been tapped to lead the EPA. He has been a vocal critic of the "electrify everything" agenda and supports an all-of-the-above approach focused on American energy security and reliability. President-elect Trump has said Zeldin will vigorously roll back EPA regulations, including Biden’s clean power plan and EV-focused vehicle emissions standards. While in Congress, Zeldin echoed petroleum industry concerns about EPA’s renewable fuel standard (RFS). Although since then, groups like API and AFPM – representing oil producers and refiners, respectively – have adopted a more favorable view of the RFS, particularly as liquid fuels seek to remain competitive against electrification. Zeldin will likely take a similar approach.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has been named to lead the Interior Department, incorporating a czar-like role to oversee – among other things – pushing federal government initiatives to encourage more energy production. Burgum will lead a new National Energy Council, giving the new appointee a seat on the National Security Council, and according to a statement from Trump on Monday he will “oversee the path to US energy dominance”. In his statement, Trump said the council will seek to help the US expand all types of energy production, in part as a response to the needs of energy-hungry AI data centers and servers.

Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright will be nominated as Energy Secretary. A vocal defender of traditional fuels and critic of rapid electrification, Wright is expected to support expanding domestic energy production and power generation capacity. Trump said these policies will be integral to his plan to reduce U.S. energy prices and “ensure that America has the power to serve all of our needs without the devastation of blackouts and brownouts, and to WIN the battle for A.I. superiority, which is key to National Security and our Nation’s Prosperity.” Expect Wright to also reverse course on federal efforts to restrict consumer access to gas stoves and liquid- and gas-fired heating systems.

Several key positions affecting our industry remain unfilled, including the Secretaries of Transportation and Labor. As a reminder, all of Trump’s appointments to lead federal departments, agencies, and commissions will require Senate confirmation.

The President-elect also announced that entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead efforts to reform the federal bureaucracy, possibly even recommending the consolidation or outright closure of certain agencies, though the exact structure of this initiative remains unclear.

These appointments suggest the incoming administration will make good on its campaign promise of prioritizing energy affordability, regulatory reform, and maintaining fuel choice over rapid electrification. NEFI will continue monitoring transition-related developments closely.

For more information, contact NEFI President & CEO Jim Collura at jim.collura@nefi.com.