Despite mild Republican disapproval, Donald Trump plans to appoint several ‘czar’ positions to overlook cross-cutting exercises – among those, a possible ‘energy czar’.
A czar is a high-level executive branch official overseeing a specific policy area. Czar positions, first dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, have existed under both Democrat and Republican heads of state in recent decades.
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Unlike formal cabinet roles, czars are appointed by the president without Senate approval, allowing for quicker appointments outside the usual checks and balances.
Trump’s energy czar is expected to replace Biden’s ‘climate czar’, also known as the national climate advisor. “Trump’s pick will align with his energy goals to deregulate and expand fossil fuel production,” says Paul Hasselbrinck, senior energy analyst at GlobalData.
Although details have not been made public, sources familiar with the transition to the new administration say the energy czar will help manage Trump’s energy agenda across federal agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Interior (DOI), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Trump’s energy policy agenda would go beyond the scope of just the DOE. His deregulation approach will cut through the departments of energy, transport, agriculture and environmental protection,” Hasselbrinck confirms. “It may even cross the state department, as it pertains to global climate agreements.”
Speculation is growing over who might be tapped for the role, with prominent names emerging as likely contenders.
Doug Burgum
Trump has repeatedly praised North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s energy expertise, saying he “probably knows more about energy than anybody I know”. The Trump loyalist, who has guided the president-elect on energy issues through his campaign trail, is a probable pick for energy czar, sources with knowledge of the transition told Politico.
Hasselbrinck agrees: “Given Trump’s picks so far, prioritising fealty over anything, Burgum’s profile could make him the most likely candidate to oversee Trump’s energy agenda.”
Burgum is a staunch advocate for the fossil fuel industry and has often criticised clean energy policies such as subsidies for electric vehicles. He has advanced oil and gas (O&G) activities in his home state, promoting development in the Bakken region and supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline. He has also called for expanding O&G drilling and rare earth metal mining on Bureau of Land Management lands.
Simultaneously, Burgum hopes to make North Dakota carbon-neutral by 2030. His plans to achieve this, however, vastly differ from the conventional approach. He stated in an interview with Future Farmer in 2021 that his strategy “includes no mandates, no regulations and no pressure for any individual company or producer to change what they are already doing”.
“It sends a clear message to the federal government and other states that North Dakota can reach the end goal faster with innovation and free markets without the heavy hand of government mandates and regulation,” Burgum emphasised.
Having previously been on Trump’s shortlist for vice-president, Burgum, with his “strong pro-fossil fuel views and known for his emphasis on ‘innovation over regulation’” as Hasselbrinck puts it, is likely to secure a key energy post in the Republican administration, even if not the czar.
Chris Wright
Chris Wright, who sources also consider a strong contender, “has been touted possibly as the energy industry’s favourite”, says Hasselbrinck.
The CEO and chairman of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based company specialising in hydraulic fracturing services for drillers, brings a wealth of experience across various energy sectors including O&G, nuclear, solar and geothermal. However, despite his background in greener sectors, Wright too advocates for hydrocarbons and is critical of clean energy.
In a 2023 podcast, he argued that increasing subsidies for solar panels won’t reduce oil demand, calling it “total nonsense”. He elaborated that wind and solar energy are concentrated in the electricity sector, which only accounts for 20% of global energy use, making oil necessary to fuel key sectors like transportation and manufacturing that “solar does almost nothing for”.
“The net impact of wind and solar subsidies is just to make our electricity grids less reliable, electricity prices more expensive, and do nothing for the demand for oil and very little for the demand for natural gas,” he said, adding that “wind and solar are not meaningful drivers of decarbonisation”.
“Wright argues that the benefits of oil and gas production to humanity far outweigh the environmental costs, defending their role in the future of energy,” says Hasselbrinck. “He doesn’t believe that top-down climate policies are the best route, preferring the market to guide its future.”
The Liberty chief has also expressed scepticism about global warming, claiming it does not lead to an increase in extreme weather events. In a Liberty report, he criticised what he sees as an overemphasis on climate change and climate politics.
Hasselbrinck caveats: “Wright’s expertise across different energy industries, views of being pragmatic and unlikelihood to blindly follow Trump’s approach make him a candidate attractive to the industry, but not necessarily to Trump himself.”
Nevertheless, Wright’s long-standing relationship with Trump cannot be dismissed. His wife hosted Trump’s Big Sky fundraiser, at which Trump hinted that Wright could be appointed Secretary of Energy. Given this public nod, there is every reason to believe Trump could appoint him as energy czar.
David Bernhardt
A former lawyer and oil lobbyist who led the DOI during Trump’s first term, David Bernhardt is another candidate floated for the position.
Bernhardt first joined the DOI in 2001 and served in various roles until President George W. Bush appointed him solicitor in 2006. During his initial tenure, Bernhardt pushed to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to O&G development.
After leaving the agency, he spent seven years as a registered lobbyist at a law firm, representing the largest O&G clients in the nation such as Samson Resources, Halliburton, Rosemont Copper and the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
“His expertise as a lawyer would help Trump in making sure that his deregulation agenda passes through courts and in defending the legal cases for policy changes that might face legal challenges,” Hasselbrinck comments.
In 2017, Trump nominated him for Deputy Secretary of the Interior, and he made his way up to Secretary of the Interior in 2019. During this time, Bernhardt helped make more than ten million acres of public lands available for fossil fuel extraction while rolling back protections for endangered species.
Currently, Bernhardt chairs the Center for American Freedom at the America First Policy Institute, which has been developing policy plans for a future Republican administration.
Trump has indicated that Bernhardt could return to his administration in any capacity, either at the DOI again or the White House. He is also being considered to head the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Yet, according to Hasselbrinck, Bernhardt might be included in the equation but “may not have the general profile Trump would want as an energy czar”.
Dan Brouillette
A former automotive industry lobbyist, Dan Brouillette served as Energy Secretary during Trump’s first term and has now emerged as another possible pick for energy czar.
Brouillette has a well-established career in energy policy, with a focus on O&G. He was staff director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2003 to 2004 and helped shape provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, particularly regarding the DOE’s regulation of liquid natural gas imports and exports.
He was also a member of Louisiana’s Mineral and Energy Board from 2013 to 2016, until Trump nominated him as Deputy Secretary of Energy in 2017 and Secretary of Energy in 2019.
Leading the Energy Department, Brouillette drove efforts across not only carbon capture and fossil fuels but also energy storage, nuclear and solar power. Notably, he played a key role in organising talks between the US and OPEC+ nations to ensure energy security during the pandemic.
After Trump 1.0, Brouillette became president of Sempra Infrastructure, overseeing projects such as Port Arthur LNG in Texas and Cameron LNG phase two in Louisiana. He then served as president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, a US utility lobby group, but recently stepped down to broaden his “focus to the overarching issues facing our global energy landscape”.
While Brouillette’s extensive energy background and “general vision alignment with Trump” make him a stand-out candidate for energy czar, Hasselbrinck says Brouillette’s statements denouncing the 6 January insurrection “may not have gone down well with the president-elect”.
Andrew Wheeler
Andrew Wheeler, former coal lobbyist and EPA administrator, is the last individual allegedly in the running for energy czar.
He began his career as special assistant at the EPA in 1991, after which he spent more than a decade as chief counsel for Senator Jim Inhofe, a well-known climate change sceptic, helping to reduce regulations on heavy greenhouse gas-emitting industries.
In 1997, he stepped onto Capitol Hill as staff director for the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, Wetlands and Nuclear Safety, then chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The Ohio-native transitioned to the private sector in 2009 to lobby for law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, representing clients such as coal producer Murray Energy. He actively lobbied against the Obama administration’s climate regulations for power plants and worked to convince the DOE to subsidise coal plants.
Trump nominated Wheeler as EPA deputy administrator in 2017, and he became EPA administrator in 2019. Throughout his tenure, Wheeler rolled back regulations aimed at reducing emissions from power plants, vehicles and O&G wells.
Wheeler’s pro-hydrocarbon views would be a fit for Trump’s energy czar. However, like Brouillette, Wheeler said that he was “completely disgusted” by the events of 6 January in an internal email to staff, seen by Government Executive, which may have raised doubts about his loyalty to Trump.
But Democrat Representative Don Beyer has said that Wheeler is not in the doghouse, as publicly he “stood by Trump and refused to criticise him”, contrary to many of Trump’s officials who resigned following the event.
