In the second Trump administration, races are on for the top energy and environmental jobs.

Allies of President-elect Donald Trump have been compiling resumes and vetting candidates behind the scenes for months. And now that Trump has won the White House, he will soon be in a position to make thousands of political appointments.

Trump has made clear that he will rely on loyalists, including some former aides and new additions to his orbit, to carry out his second-term agenda of reducing environmental rules and increasing fossil fuel production.

Trump announced the first public hire for his administration on Thursday, naming Susie Wiles as his new chief of staff. Wiles, a Florida’s longtime political insiderHe served as a senior advisor to Trump’s 2024 campaign. It will have a significant impact on the next administration’s policy moves and personnel choices.

The search for top Trump positions was ongoing before the election and accelerated this week as the president-elect’s transition team stepped up efforts to form a new administration on Jan. 20, 2025.

According to sources familiar with transition discussions, the people who will fill senior energy and environmental roles in the second Trump administration are as follows: These individuals were granted anonymity to discuss personnel selections.

Ministry of the Interior

Leading the vast Interior Department has long been a coveted post in Washington, one frequently sought by Western politicians and governors.

Several Western Republican governors, including the Governor of North Dakota, have been nominated as candidates for office under the second Trump administration. Doug BurgumHe is a key ally of Trump on the campaign trail. Governor of Alaska Mike DunleavyGovernor of Wyoming. MarkGordon and Governor of South Dakota. Kristi Noem they are also seen as possible candidates for Home Affairs minister.

David BernhardtIt was stated that Trump, who served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Undersecretary during Trump’s first term, could return to his former position as head of the ministry. Bernhardt is also seen as a candidate for another senior position in the Trump White House or executive branch (possibly at the Office of Management and Budget or the Justice Department) if he does not return to Internal Affairs.

Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Trump’s former Deputy Secretary of the Interior Katharine MacGregor are seen as possible internal leaders.

Other leadership roles within the Interior will also be up for grabs when the Trump administration takes office, including director of the National Park Service. Cam ShollyThe superintendent of Yellowstone National Park is seen as a possible candidate for the role.

EPA

The incoming Trump EPA boss will be tasked with dismantling Biden-era environmental regulations and possibly shrinking the agency.

One of the frequently mentioned candidates for this job Andrew WheelerHe is the person who ran the agency during Trump’s first term and could return for another stint.

Mandy GunasekaraTrump, who served as EPA chief of staff during the Trump administration, may return to head the agency. He was the lead author of the EPA chapter on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 roadmap. The Trump transition team has signaled that it will be reluctant to hire conservatives committed to Project 2025, but some insiders suspect that will change after Trump’s victory.

Aurelia Skip with GiacomettoTrump, who led the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service under Trump, has been suggested as another possible EPA leader in his second term.

Department of Energy

If he can’t get another Cabinet position, Burgum He is seen as a possible leader for the Department of Energy. Trump praised the North Dakota governor’s competence in oil and gas.

Other former Trump DOE officials who could return to senior roles include former Secretary Dan Brouillette; former Deputy Secretary Mark Menezes; Paul Dabbarwas the ministry’s undersecretary for science; And daniel simmonsFormer assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

USDA

Two names that are constantly tossed around for Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture: Ted McKinneya former USDA undersecretary of commerce and foreign agricultural affairs and Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller.

Another possibility: Kip TomFormer US ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies during the Trump administration.

A possible contender for the job who is considered a long shot Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

old democrat he said during the campaign He promised that Trump would give him “control of the public health agencies, consisting of HHS and its subsidiaries, the CDC, the FDA, the NIH and several others, and then the USDA.”

Reporters Heather Richards and Michael Doyle contributed.