Trump Won, Now What?

we are live. If we make a mistake or mispronounced someone's name, or just sneeze or something like that, can't edit that out. Sorry anyway. It's a little after eight thirty on a Wednesday, November seventh, a day after a pretty significant election. I'm joined here with my environmental reporter colleagues Brian Dabs and Rachel Eleven. Thanks for being here, guys. For the next few minutes, will be breaking down what the results will mean for the future of environmental policy.

Rachel will be talking about the congressional races and the makeup of the new Congress. Brian will be talking about who will be heading up the e p A and other federal agencies under President to be Donald J. Trump. So, Brian, let's start with you. You wrote a story a few days ago about who would be the head of the e p A under Trump and the headline with list for EPA chief short under Clinton Trump list unclear? Is the head of the next ep A will will that?

Is that still unclear? And if so why? Yes, David, I think it's very much unclear. Veteran old hand uh environmental policy makers and and advocates for industry and environment here in d C have really only kind of conjured up a few names that could be potential e p A administer or picks under a Donald Trump administration. Those are mostly drawn from his transition team, which from an

environmental standpoint, is led by Myron Ebel. Myron Ebel Myron Ebell, who is the director of the Center for Energy Environment at the conservative think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Myron Ebel has been around watching in DC for a long time, and a lot of climate change advocates refer to him very derisively, sometimes using the catchphrase climate change denier in chief. Mister Ebel did not respond to our request for comments

during during my reporting. There are some other names in contention, although the list, as as you said, is very limited. One you know a few of these candidates. Andrew Wheeler, who is a consultant now part of the transition team as well. Under email, he's he's a Capitol Hill veteran. Used to work for the Senate Environment Public Works Committee.

He did work on a lot of fundamental infrastructure, energy environmental priorities on on Capitol Hill, and he did kind of usher through some energy bills related to renewable fuel standards, diesel missions, and then just a wide range of wide range of kind of legislation that that is always a priority on the Hills, such as the Water Resources and Development Act, which is currently being conferenced or is poised

for formal conference once Congress reconvenes. So if if Congress doesn't polish off that legislative work, maybe look to an individual, an individual like that to kind of kind of helped shepherd it through. Under a Trump administration, another name Mike cantazarro Uh, he was a top advisor of the Bush Cheney administration on energy environmental policy. Also also steepedon experience

on Capitol Hill. And I think important to remember though that Donald Trump has emphasized that he supports clean air, clean water, and these you know, these these core priorities for environmental advocates, although the I think most observers, most veterans kind of largely think that that pool, that recruiting pool, or that orbit of environmental experts is limited due to his due to his rhetoric when it comes to environmental policy, He's said that he wants to in various ways scrap

dismantle the EPA, but he has also kind of hedged that recently and said that he wants to keep at least some of it intact. So there are a few names. It sounds like email maybe has the inside track, but it sounds like it's it's a very uncertain situation. Given how uncertain it is, how uncertain it is, is it possible that we could see a vacancy at the head of the EPA for an extended period of time, And if so, what would that mean for the agency's functions

day to day. It's a very interesting question. I don't know any reason to believe that that is a big threat the There are these names in contention, and and as as a quick side, I know there are you know, a multitude of e p A career officials that will that will help shepherd the agency through the transition, you know, the final days of the Obama administration, as well as the people who work, you know, for an administration, regardless

of of the what party it is, non political appointings, correct, So yeah, I mean if he wants to fill these vacancies, because he will, he will overhaul the agency from a personal standpoint, certainly, So if he wants to fill these agencies, I think what that really comes down to is Senate confirmations. The new Hampshire Senate race right now is still up in the air undecided at this point according to the

Associated Press and other reliable evaluators of races. But the Democrats really only picked up one seat so far, and that is Tammy Duckworth in Illinois, meaning Republicans will have a modest majority. Typically you need sixty votes to confirm nominees. There is a possibility that there could be some rule changes that would modify that, but it's far too early

in the game to speculate about that. And then thinking about the Obama environmental legacy, you know, there are a few things that sort of come to mind off the top of your head, you know, clean Power Plan, the Waters of the United States rule implementing the New Taska legislation, the Paris Climate Agreement. What are will Trump be able to kind of roll back any of those measures or will it be easy or difficult for him to I guess nullify or just I guess take the teeth out

of those Obama environmental legacies. So the agency regulatory action could be rolled back relatively easily under a Trump administration e p A. Uh you know, wotis or waters the United States. The Clean Water Rule is still waiting through litigation. That could be put on the chopping box fart as well as the Clean Power Plan. Uh TASCAR reform was was passed with really impressive bipartisan support, led by you know,

uh setting an EPW chairman Jim Enhoff. There's I haven't heard any speculations that that would be something that would be put on the chopping block as well. Now the Paris Agreement is a whole different story, and he's talked about he's talked uh very explicitly about scrapping that. The way he would go about doing that I think is

is you know, up for debate. Certainly, he could withdraw from the from the ninety ninety two Climate Convention that that kind of provided the fame the framework for the for the Parish Deal to be uh to be signed. You know, there's a provision for parties to withdraw, and then he could also just abandon and ignore the the emission reduction targets. So he you know, I think we are right now in on charied territory, but he would

likely have a lot of latitude in that respect. So uh, the White House and the President elect Trump will not be the only factor in determining whether or not Obama's environmental legacy survives. There's also the matter of Congress. Rachel, do you think that given that, you know, Republicans now still control the Senate, still control the House, have relative still to have a relatively healthy margin in the House, maybe not so much in the Senate as much as

they used to. Do you think that Congress will have a say and we'll be able to roll back or I guess, mitigate some of the signature Obama environmental achievements. Sure. So, I think that one thing that is very unique about energy policy for the upcoming setup of a Republican controlled White House and Congress is that Donald Trump essentially took the traditional energy Republican energy plan and put it as

his platform for energy development. So it's one of the areas where there's really not disagreement between House Republicans, Senate Republicans, and Donald Trump. It's an area where really they could build probably unifying momentum and pretty easily do. So that's really interesting because there were a lot of places where you know, the president, I guess the candidate Trump broke with the Republican Party and broke with the Republican orthodoxy.

But it sounds like what you're saying is energy an environment is not one of those places that on that issue, he has a pretty standard Republican platform. Yeah. I mean the House Republicans especially and some Senate Republicans have taken stances that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama administration's actions through other environmental agencies such as the Interior are

truly government overreach. So they have been on the case of the EPA and the Interior Department for years, in hearing after hearing and bill after bill. And the fact that now they have a president in the White House who agrees or will have a president in the White House who agrees with that, actually gives them a lot of latitude to move forward on changing the dynamics of climate action as well as energy development on federal lands. There are also going to be some new faces on

Capitol Hill. Maybe not so much members of Congress turning over, but new chairman of really key committees, new ranking members of key committees. Let's break it down for a start off. In the Senate, the Senate Environment of Public Works Committee will have a new chairman, a new ranking member. Is that right? Do you have to have the right, yes. So the most important thing to remember there is that chairman.

Current Senator in Hoff who's the chairman of the committee, is term limited under Senate Republican term limits, which I believe is about six years, and so he is stepping down. The next senior Republican would have been Senator Vitter, but Senator Vitter is no longer going to be in the Senate, and so that leaves Senator Barrasso. Senator Barras. He's from New Mexico, right, No, well s a Brasso. Where Brasso's from? Why? Wyoming? Brassos from the great state of my eye. That was

a test. I was just making sure to see if you knew that he was from Wyoming. I of course knew that, oh, of course as well. I'm glad I passed. So Senator Barrasso has a pretty clear track record of standing against the Obama administration on issues such as the Air Clean Water Rule and really calling out the Obama administration for overreach. So it'll be interesting to see how

that will play. And it seems like Senator Carper will be interested in being the ranking member on the Democrat side, and he'll be taking over for Senator Barbara Boxer, a longtime Senator from California who will be retiring. And let's move to the Senate Energy Committee's what's happening with that, So that's a really interesting committee At this moment. Senate Energy Committee will continue to be led, likely by Senator

Lisa Murkowski as well as ranking member Senator Can'twell. Both of their offices had told us in days leading up to the election that should the Republicans retain the majority, that both of their senators would be interested in remaining in those positions. They have a really strong track record of working well together and compromising, and that means more legislation and more thoughtful legislation moving out of the committee,

which is a key factor. But there's also the idea of the energy bill, the major energy bill that is currently being in conference between the Senate and the House that's in play. I believe it's S twenty twelve, and the idea that the Republicans retained the majority means that the Democrats don't necessarily have that additional leverage that they were hoping for in potentially the compromise negotiations for the bill, and we can probably expect the S twenty twelve to

move forward largely as is in the conference. When it comes out of the Conference committee, then that'll be during the lame duck. You think that the Democrats will want to get that pass during in the lame duck to avoid a more in a conservative environment in the next Congress. I think, you know, honestly on both sides. For both Senator Murkowski and Senator camp Well, both of them have been very dedicated to getting this through this session no

matter what. But one interesting thing that one of Senator Murkowski's former aids was telling me in the lead up to this election is that Senator Murkowski may revisit some of the things that are already in this current Senate energy bill, which is an interesting idea that she It makes clear that she really did compromise. She thinks that they need to take a second look, for example, at

permitting reform. But it also clears her agenda to look at other issues that she thinks are needing to be addressed, such as Western water issues. Let's move over to the House Energy and Commerce. What is happening with that committee? Where are there any big shifts in line there? So the current chairman is Congressman Fred Upton. He has reached his term limits and will be not seeking a waiver.

He will be stepping down as chairman. And there are three individual Congressmen who are vying for that spot or who have expressed interest in that spot. The front runner is Congressman Shimkiss and his main contender is Congressman Walden, although Congressman Barton from Texas, who previously who's considered Chairman emeritus, has also received confirmation from the House leadership that he can uy for that spot as well and receive an exception.

So that's going to be a really competitive race. I guess to look at in the months and weeks ahead about who you know who among these three congressmen can receive this The chairmanship of this committee and who the leadership of their party backs. That'll be really interesting. Natural Resources, how is that shaping out to be? How Natural Resources Committee? That is a committee where the status quo is pretty much going to remain. I mean, Congressman Bishop recently took

helm of that committee this past session. I believe he still has plenty on his agenda that he had previously expressed that he would like to get passed, and some of which some of the areas that he had wanted to pass legislation, those pieces of legislation weren't necessarily amenable in the Senate or they didn't stand to get a signature from the president. So really a President Trump could

mean more action for their committee. Additionally, Ranking Member Gorhalva from Arizona was also new to that committee last session and very much is passionate about this issue and wants to stay on the committee. All right, well, it'll be fun to watch how this all plays out in the weeks ahead. But thank you both for coming out and chatting with me so early in the morning, and we will be back in two weeks with another episode of Parts per Billion.